Cowboys' 10 Biggest Cap-Saving Contracts For 2022

[ChuckA1]

Any list that has cutting/trading Zack Martin to save 3mil is a non-starter for me. Goofy to say the least

 

[kskboys]

Our F.O. has asked players to take them before, so it's not some idea that never occurs. Some have taken them, others reject it. D-Law will probably reject, as is his right to do so. He's out of guaranteed money, so unless he thinks he can make more than his base with a cut elsewhere maybe there could be some talks or maybe set it up to be incentive based to where he can make up that "cut" money with meeting certain stats or probowl etc..

I think you're referring to a restructure. Players don't take paycuts, very rarely. I think Free actually did, but he may be the only one.

 

[John813]

I think you're referring to a restructure. Players don't take paycuts, very rarely. I think Free actually did, but he may be the only one.

Free did along with Lee and Carr.

Lee's setup was the above example where the FO set up his deal to where if he missed certain goals his pay at the end would be as described in the paycut.
But had he reached certain goals he would of received the original base back in forms of incentive bonuses.

It's rare and not done often but something I think the FO will at least explore before an outright cut.

 

[Doomsday101]

Jones mentioned Wednesday that he has talked with Gregory's agent in Mobile during Senior Bowl week, and he was optimistic the pass rusher would be re-signed. "Knowing our time together and some of the pluses and some of the times that we've had to work through and some of the not-so-fun things, that will serve us well," Jones said. Gregory played in 12 games in 2021 and tied his career high with six sacks while also recording his first career interception, and while he underwent knee surgery a couple weeks ago, he's expected to be ready to go when offseason workouts begin.

Cowboys' Randy Gregory: Priority re-signing for Dallas - CBSSports.com

 

[CWR]

Any list that has cutting/trading Zack Martin to save 3mil is a non-starter for me. Goofy to say the least

I'm sure the OP just listed his number as a matter of fact. Ain't nobody advocating that move. If you find someone who does, the best option then becomes the ignore button lol.

 

[willia451]

I think its more a matter of value at this point and the Jones model for keeping a sustainable level of competitiveness.

Yep. They will do whatever they feel like they need to do to stay at the top of the NFCE.

In their minds. The only thing worse than being erased in the first round of the playoffs is not making the playoffs at all.

It's bad for business.

 

[Doomsday101]

Yep. They will do whatever they feel like they need to do to stay at the top of the NFCE.

In their minds. The only thing worse than being erased in the first round of the playoffs is not making the playoffs at all.

It's bad for business.

You can't have the chance to advance in post season if you don't make post season. Yeah I hope it is the goal of this team to put teams out there who can make the post season and have a chance.

 

[fivetwos]

It can not be stated how bad that Elliott contract was/is. Dak isn’t a $40M/yr guy, but before the end of his deal that will likely be a bargain. Big second contracts for runningbacks, on the other hand, are never going to age well.

The structure that made him uncuttable until 2023 was the part that made it so awful.

Compounding it, per usual is Jerry wanting a ROI so a batter back sits on the bench.

 

[CWR]

Yep. They will do whatever they feel like they need to do to stay at the top of the NFCE.

In their minds. The only thing worse than being erased in the first round of the playoffs is not making the playoffs at all.

It's bad for business.

I used to think it was a blessing to feel like we might be in contention every couple years. Now it feels like a curse. It's hard to fault them for trying to sustain some level of success, but there has to be a better way. We are stuck in a terrible cycle of disappointment.

 

[willia451]

I used to think it was a blessing to feel like we might be in contention every couple years. Now it feels like a curse. It's hard to fault them for trying to sustain some level of success, but there has to be a better way. We are stuck in a terrible cycle of disappointment.

What they've learned from the fans is losing seasons back to back to back etc. in an attempt to "rebuild" is unacceptable. In that respect. Landing QBs like Romo and Dak that can at least get you to the playoffs more often than not must feel like a miracle to them.

 

[Flamma]

I think you're referring to a restructure. Players don't take paycuts, very rarely. I think Free actually did, but he may be the only one.

Pay cuts are rare because two conditions have to be met, and rarely are. The main one is, does the player think he'll make more than his base pay minus the pay cut offered? Asking DLaw would be iffy. Zeke would be a perfect candidate to ask in 2023. But I wouldn't even offer Zeke a pay cut.

 

[Ken]

They can clear more CAP space by restructuring some of these guys than they can by cutting or trading them.

Take Lawrence for example, they can restructure his deal and clear $12 million. Same with Cooper. But doing so almost certainly means they will be cut next year. The problem is they will probably want to get out of Zeke's deal next year. So the question is do they want to turnover Lawrence, Cooper and Zeke all at once next year, or start cutting the excess baggage this year?

I have a feeling Cooper gets cut this year. I hope they can trade him and maybe get something for him but who would take his contract? There is hope though. Julio Jones is making $22 million and he has been less productive than Cooper of late. So maybe someone would fork over a 2nd or 3rd round pick for Cooper. He is only 25 year old.

Restructuring only makes sense if the player is worth the money. It is highly debateable whether or not DLaw has been worth the money. This is why players like Dak and Zach are no brainers for this tact. They will be playing at their same levels for the next few years at a min.

You are merely kicking the can down the road and ultimately causing a bigger headache down the line.

This is why i said a few weeks ago that both Dlaw and Coop woulnd't be on the team one way or another. They have both shown signs of degrading as players and are not worth this money they are allocated.

 

[Ken]

Pay cuts are rare because two conditions have to be met, and rarely are. The main one is, does the player think he'll make more than his base pay minus the pay cut offered? Asking DLaw would be iffy. Zeke would be a perfect candidate to ask in 2023. But I wouldn't even offer Zeke a pay cut.

Trying to remember, doesn't the player also have to pay back a certain amount of the bonus they got paid too?

I would have sworn that was part of the process.

Anyway, when Dallas asks players to take pay cuts and they refuse, they are usually cut.

 

[glimmerman]

There will be restructuring going on. Gregory, Gallup maybe LVE and Wilson. Who all to keep. Not sure about if we should keep any of the safeties.

 

[CowboyoWales]

I saw 1 report that said Dallas has asked Lawrence to take a cut and said no. How true the report is I can't say.

So the no-brainer restructuring of Dak and Martin plus cutting Zuerlein (draft replacement) and Brown brings us at about CAP parity (when adding the draft class)?

Add the number of positions we need to fill in FA highlights that inconvenient reality that we will have to undertake moves that are both unpopular and potentially hinder the teams ability ( especially on paper). its a choice between 1) restructuring the poor and/or 2) cutting/trading those contracts of good but highly overpaid contracts.

Personally i'd bite the Amari /DLaw bullet and trade/cut (if they dont agree the pay cut route), followed by Zeke in 2023, the only players that leaves for possible restructure are La'el (already overpaid?) and Tyron (health?)

If the article's right about the saving on DLaw (post June cut= $19m) that leaves us about $40m, but still needing (as musts) : WR(x2), G, DT, DE, LB(x2) and a FS and that doesnt include hopeful wants like Kearse. I can now see Cavanaugh's opinion that we cant really afford our no.1 pick sitting on the bench (said about drafting a OT that can't play G in the mean time).

 

[CowboyoWales]

There will be restructuring going on. Gregory, Gallup maybe LVE and Wilson. Who all to keep. Not sure about if we should keep any of the safeties.

Who's left to to restructure after Dak and Zack? I think this is the point of the thread and Stephen's acceptance that we've got to the point where we just cant continue kicking those overpaid contracts.

 

[Mr_437]

Only thing I'm sure about right now is cutting the guy making 2.4M.

 

[Creeper]

Restructuring only makes sense if the player is worth the money. It is highly debateable whether or not DLaw has been worth the money. This is why players like Dak and Zach are no brainers for this tact. They will be playing at their same levels for the next few years at a min.

You are merely kicking the can down the road and ultimately causing a bigger headache down the line.

This is why i said a few weeks ago that both Dlaw and Coop woulnd't be on the team one way or another. They have both shown signs of degrading as players and are not worth this money they are allocated.

They can restructure DLaw and Cooper and still cut them next year for a CAP save. Cutting players just to get CAP saves without regard for the quality of the team that will take the field next year is not making progress.

I have no problem cutting either or both players as long as they are prepared to sign a new DE and WR, or take more losses in 2022. I have no idea why people think we can just start cutting the better players on the team and not notice next year.

 

[rnr_honeybadger]

Yea 40 million for a QB who has trouble reading defenses and can't hit a receiver in stride - what a damn bargain.

 

[Ken]

Yea 40 million for a QB who has trouble reading defenses and can't hit a receiver in stride - what a damn bargain.

Show me where he cost us 40 million so far?

I'll wait.