Cowboys State of the Cap

[ksg811]

The Cowboys have gained space by doing nothing. I have made another adjustment to Dak's franchise tag number. Remember, the exclusive tag is fluid and is based on current year figures, not a 5 year average like the non-exclusive tag. The lock date for the exclusive tag is the last day of the restricted free agent signing period, which is April 17th this year.

The major changes to the calculation since my last update (3/20) include the official signings of Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers, as well as the deals of Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger being restructured. My new estimate for Dak's franchise tag cap hit this year is $28.72 million. I last had it at $30.25 million, saving $1.53 million in space. I now have the Cowboys with $24.69m.

Also of note: I have not made any adjustments for Travis Frederick's retirement, as it is not yet official so he is technically still on the roster. Also outstanding are contract details and corresponding cap hits for the following players:

CB Anthony Brown
CB CJ Goodwin
LB Joe Thomas
TE Blake Bell
DT Dontari Poe
S HaHa Clinton-Dix

The Cowboys also have one 4 Year Qualifying Contract Veteran Salary Benefit slot to designate which would exclude $1.25 million of salary from the salary cap. They used the first slot on Joe Looney and my guess is the second will be Anthony Brown once his deal is announced.

 

[OmerV]

This is a true statement. They have the room and flexibility to do whatever they want. It’s just a matter of wanting to.

It's also a matter of what the player of interest wants, and what other teams are pursuing him and what they are offering. Fans (not saying you - I don't know where you fall on this) often seem to think the Cowboys automatically will get anyone they have an interest in, but that isn't the case.

 

[ksg811]

Kai Forbath signed a 1 year $1.187 million Veteran Salary Benefit deal. Only his signing bonus of $137,500 is guaranteed, which makes him an easy cut should Greg Zuerlien (3/7.5) win the camp competition. His cap hit is $887,500.

Anthony Brown's deal is for 3 years and $15.5 million wiht $8 million guaranteed, $6.25 million gtd at signing and a $4.5 million signing bonus, Prorated $1.5 million per year over the 3 years. His 2020 salary is $1.75 million for a cap hit of $3.25 million.

In total, these 2 singings take up $4.14 million in cap space. They replace $1.22m in charges on the top 51, for a net cap charge of $2,917,500. The Cowboys now have $21.77m in cap space.

 

[Wood]

Kai Forbath signed a 1 year $1.187 million Veteran Salary Benefit deal. Only his signing bonus of $137,500 is guaranteed, which makes him an easy cut should Greg Zuerlien (3/7.5) win the camp competition. His cap hit is $887,500.

Anthony Brown's deal is for 3 years and $15.5 million wiht $8 million guaranteed, $6.25 million gtd at signing and a $4.5 million signing bonus, Prorated $1.5 million per year over the 3 years. His 2020 salary is $1.75 million for a cap hit of $3.25 million.

In total, these 2 singings take up $4.14 million in cap space. They replace $1.22m in charges on the top 51, for a net cap charge of $2,917,500. The Cowboys now have $21.77m in cap space.

Good work keeping up with cap numbers. Your work has been invaluable.

 

[CCBoy]

All but six of the Dallas free agents are resigned now, with some team. That actually is pretty impressive.

 

[big dog cowboy]

The Cowboys now have $21.77m in cap space.

Thank you for staying on top of this.

 

[ksg811]

A few contract details came through last night.

CJ Goodwin - 1 year veteran minimum $1.047 million with $337,500 guaranteed and a $137,500 bonus to qualify for the veteran salary benefit. His cap hit is $887,500

Greg Zuerlein - 3 yeas $7.5 million with $2.25 million guaranteed and $1 million dollar bonus. His 2020 salary is $1.25 million with $250k in per game bonuses (He played all 16 games last season so all $250k is LTBE and hits the cap). His cap hit is $1,833,333.

HaHa Clinton Dix - 1 year $3.75 million with $2.25 million guaranteed. He got a signing bonus of $1.25 million, $2.25 base salry and $250k in per game bonuses (Played in all 16 games last year so it all hits the game). He has an additional $250k in NLTBE incentives tied to playtime and making the playoffs for a max contract value of $4 million. His cap hit is $3.75 million.

These 3 cap hits total $ 6,470,833. They replace 2,025,000 (675k*3) in cap charges in the top 51 for a net cap impact of 4,445,833. This leaves the Cowboys with $17.32 million in cap space.