Is Free's salary guaranteed next year?

[noletime95]

Looking at his contract and he go 17 Mil guaranteed. Hope I have bad info.

 

[Nation]

Salary is not guaranteed, but he's had signing bonuses in year 1 and year 2 so it'd involve carrying dead money into 2014 if we release him due to bonus amortization. But it would also be a $10m cap hit to keep him next year as well, and we'd have to pay him 7 of that in new money.

 

[Hook'em#11]

Let him ride the bench if it costs too much to get rid of him..


Orr...

Get rid of him , now, not tomorrow, now. He serves no positive purpose on this team.

 

[xwalker]

Guaranteed Money:
0.7M - 2011 base
1.2M - 2012 base
10.3M - Signing Bonus
4.8M - Restructure Bonus

Total = 17M


Salary Cap Hit:

Cut after 2013 - 11.175M in 2013, 4.175M in 2014

Cut Now - 4.175 in 2013, 4.175 in 2014

That's 7M more against the Cap and in real money to keep him for 2013.

 

[BHendri5]

If I understand this right then we need to jettison him asap., before 2013.

 

[LarryCanadian]

Agreed. If the above numbers are accurate, then I think Dallas cut him before June 1st.

I'm not saying the guy can't return to form etc - BUT, they are paying WAY too much to get that kind of production. Not sure Parnell is there YET, but he has a much bigger upside for MASSIVELY less money and right now, try to find 2 or 3 people that say there is a significant difference between the two when they are on the field.

At that price, Free should be a top 15 tackle in this league, not bottom 15, so you kind of HAVE to part ways, rather than pay another $7 million cash next year to "hope" that he turns it around after 2 poor (or worse) seasons. Too risky. That is worst VALUE contract on team.

Love Rat, but if he can't get healthy, then his is next contract to look at. I doubt we can afford to be big player in FA because of these 2 contracts and a couple others that are marginal as well (Sensi - whom I'd love to upgrade at that position as well, and Scandrick I'm not sold on - too many bad/dumb plays in clutch situations - although we have nobody really suited to cover the slot receivers right now.....).

Austin, I like, although with injuries and inconsistent hands/ball hawking (I think he should have adjusted and caught quite a few more balls over last few years) - but he is pretty much paid to be an elite receiver. I think we don't stir the pot and create another hole at receiver though - Austin is probably least of the worries of the non-fair value contracts we have right now, plus when healthy and focussed he comes pretty close to elite as shown in the past.

 

[AMERICAS_FAN]

At best he'll be starting RT. At worst he'll backup Parnell at RT and backup RG. What's so bad about that?

 

[supercowboy8]

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/doug-free/

He will be a 11.175 cap hit next year but if cut he will be a 8.35 million cap hit due to signing bonus. We can cut that in half if we cut him after June 1st and pay that over the next two years.

At his playing level we have to make him a June 1st cap hit.

 

[supercowboy8]

At best he'll be starting RT. At worst he'll backup Parnell at RT and backup RG. What's so bad about that?

being a 11 million cap hit for just that.

 

[mmillman]

I am usually have a good eye for talent but Free completely fooled me. I can't remember a guy with so much promise deteriorating so fast. WTH?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Let him ride the bench if it costs too much to get rid of him..


Orr...

Get rid of him , now, not tomorrow, now. He serves no positive purpose on this team.

He can't ride the bench with the salary he's making next season.

 

[Woods]

With the cap savings if Free is cut post June 1st, we should use that money and get another RT. We need Parnell to have competition.

IMO, one OL and one DL are musts in FA, assuming both Free and Brent are gone. And most likely that Coleman could be gone as well (and maybe Ratliff).

And we'll have to double-up regardless and draft an OL and DL high as well.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I am usually have a good eye for talent but Free completely fooled me. I can't remember a guy with so much promise deteriorating so fast. WTH?

Well, based on the timing it appears Mr. Free grabbed the money and ran.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

With the cap savings if Free is cut post June 1st, we should use that money and get another RT. We need Parnell to have competition.

IMO, one OL and one DL are musts in FA, assuming both Free and Brent are gone. And most likely that Coleman could be gone as well (and maybe Ratliff).

And we'll have to double-up regardless and draft an OL and DL high as well.

I think you're more likely to see the Cowboys draft an OT somewhere between rounds 2-4... And he'll be the proposed swing tackle in 2013.

Available FA money (and there probably won't be a lot of it) will most likely go for a starting caliber RG, which I can't say I would disagree with.

 

[Woods]

I think you're more likely to see the Cowboys draft an OT somewhere between rounds 2-4... And he'll be the proposed swing tackle in 2013.

Available FA money (and there probably won't be a lot of it) will most likely go for a starting caliber RG, which I can't say I would disagree with.

Do you think Parnell and Free are playing around the same level as of today?

From what I can make out, it seems as though the Cowboys are increasingly getting comfortable with Parnell. For example, I think in the NO game last week, it was Parnell who was out there on the final drive.

EDIT: I am curious as to how the Cowboys internally rank's Free's and Parnell's play over the past one month.

 

[Bluefin]

With the cap savings if Free is cut post June 1st, we should use that money and get another RT. We need Parnell to have competition.

If the team designates Doug Free as a June 2nd release, they won't get any cap savings until that date.

The same thing happened this year when that was done with Terence Newman. Dallas had to wait for the move to become offical on the books in June before they had enough cap room to start signing their rookies.

The Cowboys can do one of three things to lower Free's cap hit in 2013 ($7M base, $4.175M bonus = $11.175M cap number).

They can convert most of the $7M base salary into another signing bonus.

Free would be fine with that, but I doubt the team wants to go that route and push more guaranteed money into the contract's future.

Dallas can straight release Free and open up $2.825M ($11.175M cap number - $8.35M in remaining signing bonus = $2.825M) in immediate savings to use on other players and have his contract ($12.175M cap number in 2014) completely off the books in 2014.

The Cowboys can split the bonus money hit over the next two season using the June 2nd rule.

That would save $7M next year ($11.175M cap number - $7M base = $4.175M in dead money), but the team wouldn't be able to use that money until after June 2nd, so it wouldn't help them in free agency.

There would also be $4.175M in dead money in 2015 ($12.175M cap number - $8M base = $4.175M).

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Great discussion guys, I've been looking for the info for a month.

BTW whatever happened to AdamJT13? Usually he has posts up with this stuff. Is he on vacation until the off-season?

 

[xwalker]

Great discussion guys, I've been looking for the info for a month.

BTW whatever happened to AdamJT13? Usually he has posts up with this stuff. Is he on vacation until the off-season?

He said that he would not post any Salary Cap info until after the season.

 

[Picksix]

I am usually have a good eye for talent but Free completely fooled me. I can't remember a guy with so much promise deteriorating so fast. WTH?

Classic case of someone being exposed, and then not being able to overcome it. Opposing DE's found that he just didn't use his hands well enough, and if they could get in on his body, they had him. He's tried to adjust his game, but hasn't been able to.