Twitter: Cowboys restructure Witten's contract

[Bluefin]

Witten I think retires next year on his own terms
We need Rico to push him for snaps this year
If Rico can be what he looked like he could be in camp last year he needs half or more of the snaps this year

Jason Witten can keep playing for as long as he wants, IMO.

I'd like to see a reduction in his snaps, but the issue there is finding and playing another worthy TE.

James Hanna is a solid blocker who brings next to nothing as a receiver, which makes our double TE sets very predictable.

Blocking is a critical aspect of the position for this team, but we could really use another TE as a receiving target.

 

[xwalker]

Captain Obvious.

 

[Bleu Star]

Sooooo....................

Are you Dez lovers going to continue to sit here & say they won't be approaching him about a restructure? I'm just asking for a friend.



PS........

Witten is the class of the franchise. A stand up guy and about as classy as it gets.... If he can take a pay cut/restructure/whatever, you bet your bottoms ol crybaby Dez can as well......

 

[Nightman]

The rub with asking Dez Bryant to take a reduction in his scheduled base salary is that it will typically require a concession from the team to make it happen.

Dez currently has non-guaranteed $12.5M base salaries in the remaining two years of his contract.

If Dallas wants him to play for less, what will they offer in exchange?

Dez doesn't want to play for another team.

If he agrees to take less, the team would likely have to guarantee the salary this year and next along with providing incentives tat would allow #88 to recoup the lost salary by hitting unlikely to achieve incentives.

This would keep Dez happy and motivated.

I'd rather get deals done with Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence instead of bothering with Dez's contract..

Give him a 3yr/25m extension and guarantee 20m.........15m signing bonus

Reduces his cap hit to 10m and 12m next year

 

[conner01]

They absolutely have to give more receiving opportunities to other TEs on the roster. They'll never know what they can/can't do if they just block and run a few clear-out routes.

A productive down the seam TE would make the slot receiver tough to double
I hope Rico can be that guy
He has the athletic ability but it remains to be see if he can be a football player

 

[xwalker]

Captain Obvious.

I bet they converted this years salary to bonus to spread out his CAP number

My reign as captain obvious only lasted a few posts...

 

[nightrain]

Not in any way........has 0 impact on next year

Yea, if you don't mind absorbing a bunch of dead cap space.

 

[Sydla]

Sooooo....................

Are you Dez lovers going to continue to sit here & say they won't be approaching him about a restructure? I'm just asking for a friend.



PS........

Witten is the class of the franchise. A stand up guy and about as classy as it gets.... If he can take a pay cut/restructure/whatever, you bet your bottoms ol crybaby Dez can as well......

No one said they won’t approach him. The question is will Dez accept a restructure and will the Cowboys end up kicking Dez’s can down the road further.

The very article you linked showed one restructure option that would make it pretty impossible to cut him after this season if he shows he is definitely declining.

 

[gimmesix]

Check this out. Stephen probably negotiated with Jerry. Okay, dad...Owner of this whole thing...I'll let you keep Witten if Dez goes.

Fantasy is fun.

Well, since we're drafting receivers in the first three rounds along with signing Hurns and Thompson, it makes perfect sense.

 

[Nightman]

Yea, if you don't mind absorbing a bunch of dead cap space.

Doesn't bother me one bit

I just open twice as much Dead Money in new cap space

it is like borrowing 10 dollars and paying back 9....... FREE MONEY

 

[cern]

Cameron Fleming in 3, 2, 1.....

Looks like they just agreed to deal with Fleming. Good move imo .

 

[Verdict]

I’ll just reiterate here how much it sucks to read Cowboys fans diminishing Witten’s current level of play for no other reason than the emotionally can’t wait to turn the page on an all time great. If it actually had anything to do with his level of play, I’d feel differently, but it doesn’t.

He’s also, for the record, been paid pretty reasonably for his ability over the length of his time in Dallas. If this season is the salary cap equivalent of playing with a lacerated spleen, so be it. Y’all should shut up and appreciate it. Instead of telling me over and over how much better the 6th round college basketball player who can’t even make he team would make us when there’s zero evidence that’s remotely true.

I have a great amount of respect for you as a poster, and I value your opinion. I agree that Witten played for team friendly numbers early on and that should carry a certain amount of goodwill going forward.

Having said that, Witten should have been replaced years ago. His blocking is below average to put it kindly. He should not be able to call his own number on every play. That doesn't set well with me because it's a detriment to the team.

The fact he is a first ballot hall of Famer is great but his time has passed. We are over paying him for his production. He is just very slow.

If we improve the team speed around him that will help him be more effective. But Witten is holding the offense back quite a bit at this stage. You can't just overlook it because of how you feel about him. I have a great affinity for him as well but the facts are the facts.

 

[Verdict]

No one said they won’t approach him. The question is will Dez accept a restructure and will the Cowboys end up kicking Dez’s can down the road further.

The very article you linked showed one restructure option that would make it pretty impossible to cut him after this season if he shows he is definitely declining.

Reatructuring Dez isn't the answer if it doesn't involve one hell of a paycut.

 

[DCBoysfan]

This restructure potentially does hurt....he was getting paid too much already but he had no dead money. If they did the usual and cut his salary to 1m and made the rest a SB it just adds dead money down the road.

I know, I know....it all gets accounted for at some point, but they could have just told him take a pay cut to 2-3m or hit the road and saved cap space and not put dead money out there.

I agree, especially since this could be his last year.

 

[xwalker]

Yea, if you don't mind absorbing a bunch of dead cap space.

They just converted part of his 2018 salary into a bonus. He was going to get the salary anyway.

If they create 3.5M of space and then roll over 3.5M of cap space into 2019 then the rollover offsets the dead money if he is cut after this season and it's break-even.

If they use the 3.5M on an OLineman that I'll call player X, and then cut Witten after the season, that extra 3.5M of dead-money will be attached to Witten's name but in reality should be attached to player X's name because that is what it was spent on.

 

[nightrain]

They just converted part of his 2018 salary into a bonus. He was going to get the salary anyway.

If they create 3.5M of space and then roll over 3.5M of cap space into 2019 then the rollover offsets the dead money if he is cut after this season and it's break-even.

If they use the 3.5M on an OLineman that I'll call player X, and then cut Witten after the season, that extra 3.5M of dead-money will be attached to Witten's name but in reality should be attached to player X's name because that is what it was spent on.

There will be $3.55M spread over the future years of his contract to be accelerated upon any end to his career in Dallas. Restructured money doesn't disappear. Even though his contract had no guarantees, this restructured money is guaranteed down the road.

Yes, they were going to pay that money anyway, but this is the kind of paperwork that keeps players on payroll when they are no longer on the roster (dead money).

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/24/dallas-cowboys-jason-witten-restructure-contract/

 

[tico]

I’ll just reiterate here how much it sucks to read Cowboys fans diminishing Witten’s current level of play for no other reason than the emotionally can’t wait to turn the page on an all time great. If it actually had anything to do with his level of play, I’d feel differently, but it doesn’t.

He’s also, for the record, been paid pretty reasonably for his ability over the length of his time in Dallas. If this season is the salary cap equivalent of playing with a lacerated spleen, so be it. Y’all should shut up and appreciate it. Instead of telling me over and over how much better the 6th round college basketball player who can’t even make he team would make us when there’s zero evidence that’s remotely true.

I get the respect of a great part, but do you forget what he used to be able to do & what he can't do anymore? Feelings don't win Ships just ask the Pats...

 

[Bullet22]

More dead money..

 

[BlindFaith]

There will be $3.55M spread over the future years of his contract to be accelerated upon any end to his career in Dallas. Restructured money doesn't disappear. Even though his contract had no guarantees, this restructured money is guaranteed down the road.

Yes, they were going to pay that money anyway, but this is the kind of paperwork that keeps players on payroll when they are no longer on the roster (dead money).

https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/2018/03/24/dallas-cowboys-jason-witten-restructure-contract/

If they pushed money down the road, this is a bad deal. And if this means he keeps playing 98% of the snaps, it's a really bad deal.

 

[Idgit]

I have a great amount of respect for you as a poster, and I value your opinion. I agree that Witten played for team friendly numbers early on and that should carry a certain amount of goodwill going forward.

Having said that, Witten should have been replaced years ago. His blocking is below average to put it kindly. He should not be able to call his own number on every play. That doesn't set well with me because it's a detriment to the team.

The fact he is a first ballot hall of Famer is great but his time has passed. We are over paying him for his production. He is just very slow.

If we improve the team speed around him that will help him be more effective. But Witten is holding the offense back quite a bit at this stage. You can't just overlook it because of how you feel about him. I have a great affinity for him as well but the facts are the facts.

I liked this just because you were right about what a great poster I am.