News: Cowboys are releasing Orton

[visionary]

Another terrible contract for another terrible past their prime player. The cap "experts" are applauding "only" eating $3 million + in dead money for a player who couldn't win the only game that he started for us. Jerry, being Jerry.

Another stupid decision by Jerry

Or is it jason?

Or Stephen ?

Or ....

 

[visionary]

The point is the third option of reserved/retired. The wouldn't have had to pay that 3.25 salary AND they could have gotten that other chunk back later.

That would have made too much sense for Jerry to consider it

Rather than build a team, he would rather throw money at players that don't play, just so long as they like him and don't say bad stuff about him publicly

 

[MWH1967]

meh..going to bed on the east cost..you guys hash it out. gonna say this. Good by and thanks. caould not believe the F.O. would put the cowboys in shape to lose..on this thing.

 

[Idgit]

But this is now two guys that clearly got away with doing it to the Cowboys.

They're pursuing legal recourses against Rat still, I think. Too soon to say if he gets away with lying and faking an injury.

On Orton, I think his restructure last season created an extenuating circumstance, didn't it? I didn't like the cat and mouse, but I don't think this issue was completely cut-and-dry.

 

[daveferr33]

By his 3.25 mill salary. Duh

Okay. According to you, then, the Cowboys do not have dead money at all on their books because of the Orton cut?

But they do. Because the base salary (which disappears with the cut) does not offset the dead money. Instead, the base salary is subtracted from the total owed and what is left is the pro-rated bonus, i.e., the dead money.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Anyway, I think Weedy is the better QB over an extended period of time.

Holy moly. That's unbelievable.

 

[Cowboys22]

Ah yes, that's right. So that dead money is what they could have gotten back if they put Orton on reserved/retired. That reinforces my point that it's a bad move to cut him. They should have just let him sit on reserved retired and kept his rights. They wouldn't have had to pay him his 2014 salary or had him take up a spot on the 53. Then they could have gone after the part of the signing bonus Orton would have owed them to breaking the contract. In that case there would be no dead money. (not exactly since it would have come back to the Cowboys in 2016, I think) but still.

The problem is that he was going to come to camp and be a distraction. The team hoped he would retire and repay some money but it's obvious to me the team was just informed he will indeed show up for camp. They are happy with Weeden and they know Orton would only be a distraction. It wasn't worth the headache and lost reps at camp that a QB trying to get cut from poor play would bring. Save his salary this year and eat a few million in dead money next year but get rid of a player that doesn't want to be there.

 

[black label]

 

[AbeBeta]

The point is the third option of reserved/retired. The wouldn't have had to pay that 3.25 salary AND they could have gotten that other chunk back later.

Yeah. But he didn't retire. You can't just retire a guy

 

[AbeBeta]

Okay. According to you, then, the Cowboys do not have dead money at all on their books because of the Orton cut?

But they do. Because the base salary (which disappears with the cut) does not offset the dead money. Instead, the base salary is subtracted from the total owed and what is left is the pro-rated bonus, i.e., the dead money.

The net hit to the cap is basically $0. Explain how there is no offset here. We saved 3.5 mill. We owe 3.5 mill. Net result. Zero hit on cap.

Like most on this board you are getting hung up on the term "dead money." It would be 7 mill against the cap this year and next if we kept him. Tell me now how saving 3.5 mill is bad?

 

[Western]

Top 5 senior quarterbacks

1. Bryce Petty, Baylor Bears: He put up exceptional totals last season and should be in line for a big senior year with plenty of offensive talent still on hand around him. Petty piled 4,200-plus passing yards and had a near-perfect 32-3 TD-INT ratio last season. The Baylor offense is always going to create numbers as long as coach Art Briles is around, but Petty has skills that go beyond a good offense.

2. Sean Mannion, Oregon State Beavers: The tall QB had a breakthrough season in 2013, with 37 TD throws and 4,662 passing yards, but now he must attack defenses without the services of WR Brandin Cooks, who was taken by the Saints in Round 1 of the 2014 draft. Mannion is accurate, but he doesn't generate the velocity on his passes you'd expect for someone his size. That's the big question for me going into 2014.

3. Braxton Miller, Ohio State Buckeyes: A gifted runner, Miller improved his mechanics and footwork going into the 2013 season, but it's clear he's still as much an athlete as he is a QB in the way that he doesn't yet consistently anticipate people coming open but instead too often relies on his ability to extend plays seemingly as long as he wants. Miller's passing totals have improved, but his ability to anticipate in the passing game will define whether he's considered a QB worth taking in the top half of the draft. If he goes later, the athletic credentials could have some believing he could play another position.

4. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State Sun Devils: He was arguably better as a sophomore, but Kelly certainly wasn't bad in 2013. While he lacks above-average arm strength and relies a great deal on underneath and intermediate accuracy, Kelly is athletic and tough, and he runs well and has a quick release. He anticipates well and is willing to take hits to get the ball out to the best option.

5. Hutson Mason, Georgia Bulldogs: He filled in admirably for Aaron Murray at the end of last season and will get his shot to start in 2014 with Murray now a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. Mason should be helped by a very good running game this season.

Top 5 underclassmen quarterbacks

1. Jameis Winston, Florida State Seminoles: I'll repeat my notes from the Big Board, which hold up a few weeks later. In regards to his 2014 season: "He'll anticipate better and move with better precision in the pocket, and he'll do so while again being surrounded by a ton of talent. The question is whether he'll mature and find a way to move past what I personally consider major character concerns. He's a great football prospect, but he has a great deal of work to do to prove he's a player worthy of leading an NFL franchise. Maybe 2014 shouldn't be his final year in Tallahassee."

2. Marcus Mariota, Oregon Ducks: Through two seasons as a starter, Mariota has 61 TD throws and just 10 INTs. And even while I'd never consider him a run-first QB, when he does run he's dangerous, as evidenced by his near 1,500 yards and his 7.3 yards per carry average. Mariota could have been a top-10 pick in the 2014 draft, but a return to school will benefit him. He has all the athletic credentials and can be very accurate for stretches, but he needs to anticipate a little better and gain a little strength. He's well on his way to challenging to be the top pick in 2015.

3. Brett Hundley, UCLA Bruins: Since he burst on the scene in 2012, Hundley has consistently impressed with his ability to drive the ball down the field with ease. He might have the best arm in this draft class, and I think he's a smart pocket mover with a sense of when to climb to evade pressure. He just needs to be better with ball placement, where he can be pretty inconsistent. Overall, he's a very good prospect.

4. Connor Cook, Michigan State Spartans: The Spartans' offense isn't exactly built to show off a QB's ability, but Cook did manage to put up some pretty decent totals last year even as the MSU receivers struggled to consistently hang on to the ball. Cook has good size at 6-4 and can really run. He has a strong arm and will continue to get better. A sleeper to be a future first-rounder.

5A. Kevin Hogan, Stanford Cardinal: He should take a step forward this season with another good O-line and several outstanding weapons in the passing game, but Hogan has a long windup on his release and needs to clean up some things mechanically. He's a very good athlete and should continue to improve.

5B. Jacob Coker, Alabama Crimson Tide: He nearly beat out Winston to start at Florida State, and is the favorite to be the starter for Nick Saban's team in 2014. Coker moves well, has a big arm and, if he starts, will have big-time weapons in wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end O.J. Howard.

Mannion, Cook, Hogan, Hundley & Petty should all be considered.
Time for a change ~ absent front office moves & coaching changes, start the change with the drafting of a QB for the present & for the future.

 

[Alexander]

Mannion, Cook, Hogan, Hundley & Petty should all be considered.
Time for a change ~ absent front office moves & coaching changes, start the change with the drafting of a QB for the present & for the future.

If Garrett is around, I bet Mannion is a target.

 

[DFWJC]

Hutchinson/Henson potential?

Oh, that's mean

 

[DFWJC]

At least we now will have a camp full of players all pulling in the same direction.
I suspect Garrett had a say I this.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I think this is the right move. Thought we should have cut him before, even if it does cost us some money. It's not worth it to have a player sulking around who doesn't want to be here. Much better to get rid of him and move on.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

Weeden = Orton

 

[guag]

I think he could have been released as soon as they got the deal on Weeden, which was back in March

Sure, but at that point we didn't really know what we were getting with Weeden at that point, relatively speaking. I guess we were comfortable enough with Weeden as the #2 after getting to evaluate his mini camp performances.

 

[Hostile]

Sure, but at that point we didn't really know what we were getting with Weeden at that point, relatively speaking. I guess we were comfortable enough with Weeden as the #2 after getting to evaluate his mini camp performances.

I do agree. I am pissed at Orton, but let me be real honest, I still like him as our backup more than Weeden. Nothing against Weeden, I just really do like Orton as a backup QB.

 

[Nightman]

Orton signed a 3yr/10.5m contract in 2012. The 5m signing bonus was most of his PAY for 2012 and 2013. He only had base salaries of 800k and 1.35m for those 2 years. The Cowboys added two 'dummy' voidable years to his contract to spread out his cap charges. They also restructured his 2013 salary of 1.35m by 500k to save even more space last year. 7.2m for 2 years of a top backup QB is the going rate. Orton earned that money. Asking him to repay it after he helped the team out cap wise would be a big mistake and set a bad precedent for players re-doing their contracts when the team needs cap space.

Dallas made the smart move by cutting a guy that doesn't want to play anymore. The idea of recovering some of the signing bonus was a pipe dream and should only be 1.6m at most anyways according to the original contract and pro-ration. They save his 3.25m salary this year and that is all that matters. Paying a guy 3.25m to recover 1.67m over 2 years doesn't make any sense. The dead money of 2.2m in 2015 is the amount the team saved in 2012 and 2013 with his smaller than normal cap charges. It has nothing to do with cutting him or pulling a Jay Ratliff. Every dollar saved against the cap early in a contract has to be eventually accounted for, but it is smarter to account for it in the future when the overall cap is larger. It's basic math.

 

[Nightman]

They won't be cutting Orton.

Wanna bet?

Sure. What do you feel like losing?

I'll bet you 100 likes

Time to start 'liking' some posts