News: Expiring Contracts: Tyrone Crawford

[CCBoy]

Expiring Contracts: Tyrone Crawford
August 4, 2015 by Jess Haynie
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/expiring_contracts_tyrone_crawford/19286569


Though we still have an entire season to play before 2016 free agency comes, it’s still a good time to look at our current players with expiring contracts. What they do from now until January could have a direct impact on what the Cowboys decide to do with them. Some could get a new contract before the season ends, while other before the market opens sometime next March. Then there are those who are likely playing their last (or only) season in Dallas, regardless of how they perform.

Dallas has close to 25 players right now with expiring contracts. Not all of those are not significant; practice squad guys and many who won’t even be here after training camp. However, there are a good 15 who are likely to be on the 53-man roster this year and the team will have to make some decisions on in the months ahead.

So, let’s start right at the top:

Tyrone Crawford, DT
2015 Cap Hit: $829k
AGE: 25 (turns 26 in Nov)
EXP: 4th year

After Dez Bryant got his big contract many suggested that Crawford would be their next target. After missing the 2013 season with an Achilles injury, Crawford came back strong last year and eventually pushed Henry Melton off the field. He only had three sacks but, given the rotation that Rod Marinelli was using and that Crawford’s role didn’t increase until halfway through the year, it’s a respectable number for a defensive tackle.

What’s interesting about a guy like Crawford is that you’re basing so much on expectation over experience. Listen to any Cowboys insider and you’ll hear that everyone from Marinelli to Jason Garrett to Jerry and Stephen Jones expect Crawford to do big things in 2015. That’s great for the team on the field, but it does put the decision-makers in a tough spot. At what point do you feel okay paying on potential? How much do you have to see before you pull the trigger on an extension?

This isn’t a one-sided decision, either. Crawford has to be willing to forego free agency to sign that deal, and there’s a great case for him not to. At 26 he’ll be a perfect age for other teams to feel good about their investment. He will be two full seasons removed from the injury and, hopefully, have shown no signs of residual damage. What’s more, Crawford can play for any team in the NFL. He can play inside or even at defensive end in a 4-3 scheme and could certainly play as a 3-4 end as well...

 

[CATCH17]

If he is interested in signing i'd do it now if I were the Cowboys.

 

[CCBoy]

Rewarding a high character guy with talent...

 

[Idgit]

If he is interested in signing i'd do it now if I were the Cowboys.

Me, too. Though, if I'm him, I'm betting on myself this season. With Hardy playing outside or next to him, he's going to have a big year on a high profile team. He's perfectly positioned for a huge pay day.

 

[Bluefin]

After missing the 2013 season with an Achilles injury

There is a question whether or not Tyrone Crawford accrued a free agency credit in 2013.

Some third round contracts contain split salaries in the event the player is injured during the off-season or training camp and misses the entire year.

I don't know if Crawford has such a clause in his rookie contract.

If he does, Crawford will become a restricted free agent at season's end instead of unrestricted, giving the team some leverage.

It probably doesn't matter, a long term extension is the likely plan in either case.

 

[speedkilz88]

There is a question whether or not Tyrone Crawford accrued a free agency credit in 2013.

Some third round contracts contain split salaries in the event the player is injured during the off-season or training camp and misses the entire year.

I don't know if Crawford has such a clause in his rookie contract.

If he does, Crawford will become a restricted free agent at season's end instead of unrestricted, giving the team some leverage.

It probably doesn't matter, a long term extension is the likely plan in either case.

I've always been under the impression that guys on IR for the full season get credit for it. Never seen one where that didn't happen. Unless they were waived injured and then were put on IR.

 

[Bluefin]

I've always been under the impression that guys on IR for the full season get credit for it. Never seen one where that didn't happen. Unless they were waived injured and then were put on IR.

It depends on the contract.

If any season contains a split salary in the event of an injury, the player will not accrue a free agency credit if active for fewer than six games.

The CBA defines accruing a season of service towards becoming an unrestricted free agent as being on the roster (active, inactive, IR) at full pay for a minimum of six games.

Darrion Weems was on the 53 man roster for two weeks last year before being placed on injured reserve to have shoulder surgery. Weems, like almost all undrafted and late round selections, had a split salary clause and didn't receive a free agency credit in 2014.

First round contracts never have splits so far as I'm aware and I believe it's uncommon in second round deals, but some third rounders do have them.

 

[Eskimo]

Me, too. Though, if I'm him, I'm betting on myself this season. With Hardy playing outside or next to him, he's going to have a big year on a high profile team. He's perfectly positioned for a huge pay day.

The big rebuttal is he's already seen how the injury bug can bite. He came here with Ware an All-Pro who then began to struggle. He came here with Spencer who couldn't sign a long-term deal in 2013 blew out his knee and then struggled after microfracture surgery in 2014. He has seen Sean Lee miss the past 1.5 years. He saw Mo Claiborne from his own draft class blow out his knee. Football is a high injury sport especially in the defensive front 7 and he has not had a major payday yet as he was only a 3rd rounder.

I think if we floated an extension offer right now for 5 years and $25-30M and $10M guaranteed we could easily get a deal done for him. The 3-tech is the most important spot on his defense and he was really coming on the second half of the year and should be a force for us the next few years. He's already shown a great work ethic to come back after blowing his achilles and then was able to transition from DE to DT when Melton was struggling to get back on the field and play the run last year. I think he brings with him the athleticism, speed and tenacity we like at the position and should be hitting his peak right about now so he is a great candidate for an extension.

So he could "bet" on himself but he's the one who really stands to lose if things don't go well. He'd have $10M in the bank even if broke his leg and could never play another down in his life. That kind of security would be hard to pass up and agents who are properly representing their client's interests should be accounting for this.

 

[Aven8]

If he is interested in signing i'd do it now if I were the Cowboys.

I wouldn't sign it if I were Crawford unless it was bigtime money. We did the same thing to Rat years ago and got a steal, and then outplayed that contract and JJ screwed the pooch on the 2nd deal!

 

[Idgit]

The big rebuttal is he's already seen how the injury bug can bite. He came here with Ware an All-Pro who then began to struggle. He came here with Spencer who couldn't sign a long-term deal in 2013 blew out his knee and then struggled after microfracture surgery in 2014. He has seen Sean Lee miss the past 1.5 years. He saw Mo Claiborne from his own draft class blow out his knee. Football is a high injury sport especially in the defensive front 7 and he has not had a major payday yet as he was only a 3rd rounder.

I think if we floated an extension offer right now for 5 years and $25-30M and $10M guaranteed we could easily get a deal done for him. The 3-tech is the most important spot on his defense and he was really coming on the second half of the year and should be a force for us the next few years. He's already shown a great work ethic to come back after blowing his achilles and then was able to transition from DE to DT when Melton was struggling to get back on the field and play the run last year. I think he brings with him the athleticism, speed and tenacity we like at the position and should be hitting his peak right about now so he is a great candidate for an extension.

So he could "bet" on himself but he's the one who really stands to lose if things don't go well. He'd have $10M in the bank even if broke his leg and could never play another down in his life. That kind of security would be hard to pass up and agents who are properly representing their client's interests should be accounting for this.

Hey, we definitely ought to float a contract right now that's got comps full-value to what a young hot DL got this offseason on the market. Make the case that he can get his money locked in, and a year sooner than he's going to get next year, meaning he'll be a year younger on his next deal when he hits the market. I'm all over it if he's up for it. I just think he's going to get a huge premium from some stupid team when he's a free agent if he waits. Better to be a Jermey Parnell than it was to be Jay Ratliff a few years back where he signed a deal he resented a few years later.

On that note, can't/don't agents get insurance for their players against injury anyway? If you're looking at possibly $20M guaranteed next season and you've got $10M on the table right now, it stands to reason that you could spend a chunk of that money to protect your downside and remove that consideration from the table completely.

 

[Eskimo]

It depends on the contract.

If any season contains a split salary in the event of an injury, the player will not accrue a free agency credit if active for fewer than six games.

The CBA defines accruing a season of service towards becoming an unrestricted free agent as being on the roster (active, inactive, IR) at full pay for a minimum of six games.

Darrion Weems was on the 53 man roster for two weeks last year before being placed on injured reserve to have shoulder surgery. Weems, like almost all undrafted and late round selections, had a split salary clause and didn't receive a free agency credit in 2014.

First round contracts never have splits so far as I'm aware and I believe it's uncommon in second round deals, but some third rounders do have them.

I don't know how reliable they are for situations like these but Spotrac.com has him listed as a UFA for 2016.

 

[Idgit]

I wouldn't sign it if I were Crawford unless it was bigtime money. We did the same thing to Rat years ago and got a steal, and then outplayed that contract and JJ screwed the pooch on the 2nd deal!

Yeah, that's what I was just saying while you typed this. Crawford's about in that same position. If he looks good in camp, it's a safe bet he's going to have a big year. We'd need to come in right at expected market rate for him and he'd have to like it here and want the security fairly bad.

One good thing is Dallas/Jerry has an earned reputation for working with players to be fair when they overperform their deals. Ratliff's idiocy aside, we've done it for several players now, and that really is a good thing to have in our pocket. With Frederick coming up soonish-too, there are some good young players we're going to want to extend here. I'll be happier if we get one or two of them done sooner rather than later.

 

[Eskimo]

Hey, we definitely ought to float a contract right now that's got comps full-value to what a young hot DL got this offseason on the market. Make the case that he can get his money locked in, and a year sooner than he's going to get next year, meaning he'll be a year younger on his next deal when he hits the market. I'm all over it if he's up for it. I just think he's going to get a huge premium from some stupid team when he's a free agent if he waits. Better to be a Jermey Parnell than it was to be Jay Ratliff a few years back where he signed a deal he resented a few years later.

On that note, can't/don't agents get insurance for their players against injury anyway? If you're looking at possibly $20M guaranteed next season and you've got $10M on the table right now, it stands to reason that you could spend a chunk of that money to protect your downside and remove that consideration from the table completely.

I think a decent comp would be Brandon Graham who played so-so before having a breakout last year and putting up 6 sacks. I think he got about 5 years and $30M from what I recall.

 

[speedkilz88]

Yeah, that's what I was just saying while you typed this. Crawford's about in that same position. If he looks good in camp, it's a safe bet he's going to have a big year. We'd need to come in right at expected market rate for him and he'd have to like it here and want the security fairly bad.

One good thing is Dallas/Jerry has an earned reputation for working with players to be fair when they overperform their deals. Ratliff's idiocy aside, we've done it for several players now, and that really is a good thing to have in our pocket. With Frederick coming up soonish-too, there are some good young players we're going to want to extend here. I'll be happier if we get one or two of them done sooner rather than later.

2018 isn't exactly soonish imo.

 

[Bluefin]

I don't know how reliable they are for situations like these but Spotrac.com has him listed as a UFA for 2016.

Last year, they had Chris Jones as an UFA, while Darrion Weems and Ronald Leary were shown as RFAs for 2015.

All three classifications were incorrect and I knew it from the start.

Spotrac has no inside info, they're guessing on some things the same way I do.

The difference is they're doing it for all 32 teams while I'm just the Cowboys.

 

[Aven8]

Yeah, that's what I was just saying while you typed this. Crawford's about in that same position. If he looks good in camp, it's a safe bet he's going to have a big year. We'd need to come in right at expected market rate for him and he'd have to like it here and want the security fairly bad.

One good thing is Dallas/Jerry has an earned reputation for working with players to be fair when they overperform their deals. Ratliff's idiocy aside, we've done it for several players now, and that really is a good thing to have in our pocket. With Frederick coming up soonish-too, there are some good young players we're going to want to extend here. I'll be happier if we get one or two of them done sooner rather than later.

The beauty in the Fred deal, while the rest of the league scoffed at him in the 1st round, is that we get that 5 year option, so it's too soon IMO to even think about it. Who's laughing now?

 

[Eskimo]

Hey, we definitely ought to float a contract right now that's got comps full-value to what a young hot DL got this offseason on the market. Make the case that he can get his money locked in, and a year sooner than he's going to get next year, meaning he'll be a year younger on his next deal when he hits the market. I'm all over it if he's up for it. I just think he's going to get a huge premium from some stupid team when he's a free agent if he waits. Better to be a Jermey Parnell than it was to be Jay Ratliff a few years back where he signed a deal he resented a few years later.

On that note, can't/don't agents get insurance for their players against injury anyway? If you're looking at possibly $20M guaranteed next season and you've got $10M on the table right now, it stands to reason that you could spend a chunk of that money to protect your downside and remove that consideration from the table completely.

I honestly doubt he could afford to insure $10M of football earnings when he has probably only earned about $2M in his career thus far and has no more guaranteed money coming in. I would think he has some of his earnings for this year insured but may not have anything insured beyond this year.

I guess if he had enough money he could buy such a policy but it would probably cost more today than he has made in his career. They don't call it "Not For Long" for no reason.

 

[Bluefin]

is that we get that 5 year option

And the fifth year option for any first round contract on a player selected outside of the top ten isn't going to be too expensive or cap cumbersome.

The top ten picks will receive an option tender equal to the Transition tag, the average of the top ten salaries for players at their listed position.

For picks 11-32, the average is changed to include the previous season's 3rd to 25th highest paid players at their listed position.

I expect Dallas will issue the 5th year tender to Travis Frederick next off-season but will agree to a long term extension with the center prior to that fifth season.

But it's nice knowing the option to have these guys play on the fifth year salary is viable.

It wasn't with Tyron Smith, due to his top ten status.

 

[conner01]

If the price was right I would extend him
The question is what's the market? And what would it take?

 

[Idgit]

I honestly doubt he could afford to insure $10M of football earnings when he has probably only earned about $2M in his career thus far and has no more guaranteed money coming in. I would think he has some of his earnings for this year insured but may not have anything insured beyond this year.

I guess if he had enough money he could buy such a policy but it would probably cost more today than he has made in his career. They don't call it "Not For Long" for no reason.

I was more thinking that that's something an agency would carry. Some blanket coverage for their clients that protects them from catastrophic injury in a contract year and something they can defer the cost of over more than one player. You can insure anything, so it's just a matter of figuring out how to set the premiums and how to calculate damages if there's a claim. It's probably something they do, anyway, and we just don't hear much about it. No doubt, it'd be an expensive premium.