Cowboys $12M over project 2022 NFL salary cap of $208.2M, here's how they get under

[Shane612]

I mean yeah. Except as humans we die, and leave debt. The NFL isn't going anywhere, and the cap is only going to go up.

So, have big debt when your old?
.
You wouldn't want to have millions of $s in debt as a young person. It really drags your life in the mud.
.
Cap goes up faster than even most inflationary rate.
Player get paid $40,000,000.00+ per year. And the cost gets passed, pun intended, down to the fans.

 

[Aven8]

I’m just trying to get through 2021 man.

This…..

 

[Bigtex67]

You'd have to be nuts to cut Collins to save 1.3 million.

I agree. Might be interesting to change him to Left Guard with a whole off season to get ready for 2022.

 

[Shane612]

The player will always agree because they get the money right now as a signing bonus. The idea is that the salary cap will be higher in the future. They’ve been doing this for well over a decade.

You mean they get the whole guaranteed money immediately?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of restructuring?

 

[Doomsday101]

I have no doubt that when Dallas signed Dak to his deal it was the understanding they would look to his deal to restructure.

 

[Shane612]

How much do we save if we cut Prescott?

Besides the franchise.

The Jones family will regret Dak's contract.
I think they already are.

 

[CyberB0b]

You mean they get the whole guaranteed money immediately?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of restructuring?

Here’s a quote from an article about the Rams that explains it.


Les Snead didn’t magically snap his fingers and find $45 million for the Rams. They didn’t pull cap space out of thin air. Restructures are common moves in the NFL, especially in this unprecedented year, but they do have a cost.

When a restructure is done, a player converts a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus, which is then prorated over the remaining years on his contract. So if the Rams convert $18 million of Donald’s base salary into a signing bonus, that $18 million will be spread out across the four years left on his deal – or about $4.5 million per year. It lowers his cap hit significantly in 2021, but the move also raises his cap number in 2022, 2023 and 2024 by $4.5 million.

 

[John813]

You mean they get the whole guaranteed money immediately?
Doesn't that defeat the purpose of restructuring?

No.
Actual Salary paid out to the player doesn't equal the cap hit.

Cap hit is based off base salary + prorated signing bonus. But the signing bonus is usually paid year 1 of a new deal and the prorated SB is purely for the books.

Restructuring the base salary converts it into a new signing bonus which is prorated up to 5 years.

Daks current cap hit for 2022 is 20mil base+ 14.45mil SB for a hit of 34.45mil but his take home for 2022 will be 20mil, but spread over 18 weeks.
A max restructure will convert 19mil of his base to a SB, which will be then be prorated over the 5 remaining years on his deal for an additional signing bonus cap hit of 3.8mil dollars for the books

Cap hit after restructure:
1mil Base + 14.45Prorated SB + 3.8mil new SB =~19mil cap hit.

Actual salary paid out is still 20mil, but now 19mil would be paid immediately with the remaining 1mil base paid out over 18 weeks.

 

[Shane612]

Here’s a quote from an article about the Rams that explains it.


Les Snead didn’t magically snap his fingers and find $45 million for the Rams. They didn’t pull cap space out of thin air. Restructures are common moves in the NFL, especially in this unprecedented year, but they do have a cost.

When a restructure is done, a player converts a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus, which is then prorated over the remaining years on his contract. So if the Rams convert $18 million of Donald’s base salary into a signing bonus, that $18 million will be spread out across the four years left on his deal – or about $4.5 million per year. It lowers his cap hit significantly in 2021, but the move also raises his cap number in 2022, 2023 and 2024 by $4.5 million.

I know they're common.
I'm just saying that teams are just delaying the inevitable consequences when they do it.

 

[CyberB0b]

I know they're common.
I'm just saying that teams are just delaying the inevitable consequences when they do it.

There are no consequences since the cap goes up every year.

 

[Doomsday101]

I know they're common.
I'm just saying that teams are just delaying the inevitable consequences when they do it.

It would be a problem is all contracts ended at the same time, they don't.

 

[Stash]

There's a reason why they added two void years to hit deal, even though at the time of signing and the restructure the prorated bonus only went to the first void year and not void year 2/ overall year 6.
They are going to restructure it and extend/restructure his deal again in the future. Higher cap hits in the future to be solved later.
It's the Cowboys standard operation on deals.

And it’s awful.

They've restructured Romo, Smith, Martin, Frederick, Lawrence, Collins, and already Dak once. Cap space now > future. It's the same guys running the show when we were tight on cap in 13/14 etc restructuring deals of Crawford and Lee.
Nothing will change on how they operate.

And we saw all of the ‘winning’ they were able to do back then too didn’t we? And it’s great that you brought up Crawford’s deal do I didn’t have to. It proves my point.

 

[blueblood70]

Interesting article on how the Cowboys will get under the CAP. But what is more intriguing is who are the potential CAP Casualties or Restructures... IMO, From a CAP perspective..my Humble novice..opinion..is both Collins and DLAW are done in Dallas.

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/lists/dallas-cowboys-2022-free-agents-salary-cap/

....Warning its a long post....

According to cap site Over The Cap, Dallas has $224.9 million of liabilities combined from their roster and dead money. Taking away the $4.3 million carry over and Dallas is currently $12.3 million above the projected cap.

How do they get under the CAP.

DAK Prescott - Restructure could bring his base all the way down to $1 million, with the other $19 million spread from 2022 through 2026 even though he’s only under contract through 2024.
Savings: $15.2 million

Zak Martin - currently has the highest cap hit among guards at just under $20.2 million in 2022. That can come down via a restructure that converts some of his base into bonus. His base salary is $11,841,000,
Savings: Up to $7.2 million

Zeke Elliott has the most years remaining on his deal of any Cowboy, through 2026, so a restructure can be spread out over a full five seasons. His base salary in 2022 is $12.4 million.
Savings: Up to $9.1 million

Cooper - is signed through 2024 with a base salary of $20 million and a current cap hit of $22 million each season. Trade/Release Savings: $16 million
Restructure Savings: Up to $12.67 million

Collins - base salary is $10M and his cap hit is currently $15,250,000.
Restructure Savings: Up to $6 million
Trade/ June-1 Release Savings: $10 million, 2023 dead money $8.7 million
Trade/Release Savings: $1.3 million

DLAW - two years remaining on his contract for $19 million and $21 million resepectively. His bonus prorations add $8 million each year, plus there’s an additional $3 million on a void 2024 year.
Trade/ June-1 Release Savings: $19 million, 2023 dead money $11 million
Trade/Release Savings: $8 million

Not concerned as fan this isnt even a mild concern. They put the payers on the field we watch and debate FOOTABLL not money..

we arent GMs , ceos, lawyers, or FO people of any kind for an NFL team. this has zero to do with actual fandom..

they like all teams find way to make the cap less relative..

lets finish the season and then talk about FA and the draft and how the cap gets handled..

we dont know what Jerry has planned for some of those big contracts yet..can we please stay in 2021 jeez!!

 

[John813]

And it’s awful.




And we saw all of the ‘winning’ they were able to do back then too didn’t we? And it’s great that you brought up Crawford’s deal do I didn’t have to. It proves my point.

It's not something I like teams doing, but it's just something Dallas(and more teams) are doing nowadays. I just accept it at this point

 

[Stash]

There are no consequences since the cap goes up every year.

Really? ‘No consequences’?

 

[Stash]

It's not something I like teams doing, but it's just something Dallas(and more teams) are doing nowadays. I just accept it at this point

Fair enough.

I don’t.

I see this team repeatedly getting themselves locked into what turn out being bad deals.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Doesn't restructure mean they're just kicking their obligations down the road?
They still owe the player whatever guaranteed money the player is entitled. Plus, the player has to agree to have his contract restructured.

yes and no...some of the money is being converted to bonus up front money, which gets spread over the remaining life of the contract....

 

[John813]

Fair enough.

I don’t.

I see this team repeatedly getting themselves locked into what turn out being bad deals.

Way I see it is the owners wanted these rules and implemented ways for them to win now with some stinging consequences later.
So, I think they know there will be some dark years potentially ahead, but Jerry really wants to win one now before he goes and at least the team now as constructed isn't too far off from being a serious contender. Lean years in 2024/25 be damned when they have to shed contracts and be stuck with 30/40+mil dead cap. Might be some net savings due to the gross size of the cap hits but it'll limit their ability to add to the roster and build around Micah and his new big deal.

Their albatross contract will be the Dak one, but as long as they keep it to Dak and continue to draft well then it won't be too bad. At least Dak is still young and while he gets some minor injuries it's not on the level of Romo I broke my back again being tackled.

 

[Stash]

Way I see it is the owners wanted these rules and implemented ways for them to win now with some stinging consequences later.
So, I think they know there will be some dark years potentially ahead, but Jerry really wants to win one now before he goes and at least the team now as constructed isn't too far off from being a serious contender. Lean years in 2024/25 be damned when they have to shed contracts and be stuck with 30/40+mil dead cap. Might be some net savings due to the gross size of the cap hits but it'll limit their ability to add to the roster and build around Micah and his new big deal.

Their albatross contract will be the Dak one, but as long as they keep it to Dak and continue to draft well then it won't be too bad. At least Dak is still young and while he gets some minor injuries it's not on the level of Romo I broke my back again being tackled.

I understand that some risks need to be taken, I just don’t want to see reckless decisions made to keep a ‘good team’ together under the misperception that it’s a great one. That’s often been the case under the Jones boys. They ALWAYS think they’re contenders and that THIS is their year. It hasn’t been for over 25 years now.

 

[Vanilla2]

Yes, you’re exactly right.

And also remember that there were huge dead money costs left behind on both. The team was talent and cap deficient for years after each left.

So I’m supposed to worry about the cap 5* years down the road?