JMO, Ellis' contract demands just the beginning...

[WoodysGirl]

Just some thoughts w/o doing a bunch of research.

Greg Ellis - No matter what you think about Ellis and his public demand for cash, it's interesting that this is first real contract dispute the Cowboys have had to engage in since maybe Troy's last deal. He's a good player. He's got a decent contract that the Cowboys aren't under any obligation to pay or re-do. But the salary doesn't quite match the current role. He wants a re-do with a little more guaranteed. Will the Cowboys address it? That's the question.

For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys have homegrown players that they actually want to keep.

Bradie James - Player on the cusp or one-year wonder? That's what the Cowboys have to decide. What kinda contract can he possibly command on the open market? What contract is he really worth?

Jason Witten - Pro Bowl tight end. What more can be said. However, there's alot to be said. He's a young guy, achieved some success, all under his rookie contract. It's time for him to get extended. Everyone says git r done. Witten says it needs to be done before the season. Can the Cowboys do it? And what kinda numbers is he talking?

Roy Williams - Pro Bowl safety. New face of the Cowboys. Some say great player. Some say overrated who needs a free safety to be effective. What kinda money does a "supposed" one-dimensional safety warrant?

As for who gets extended:

I wanna believe that Jerry will tweak his contract. But in this new era of fiscal responsibility, I think Ellis will have to suck it up and play it out.

I think Bradie gets a solid contract. Decent contract, but not too outrageous.

I think Witten becomes highest paid TE, but the question is when does it happen.

Safety's cap numbers aren't usually that high. So, if all else fails, Roy gets franchised. I think Roy gets a contract somewhere between Archuleta's and Donovan Darius' contract. Archuleta's contract just seems like pure monopoly money, while Darius' seems to be pretty fair. But w/a higher cap, he just may blow Archuleta's contract out the water.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I honestly wouldn't be suprised to see Witten get a deal before the season starts

I think Roy should get more money than Adam A, but that's just me

 

[dwmyers]

Just some thoughts w/o doing a bunch of research.

Greg Ellis - No matter what you think about Ellis and his public demand for cash, it's interesting that this is first real contract dispute the Cowboys have had to engage in since maybe Troy's last deal. He's a good player. He's got a decent contract that the Cowboys aren't under any obligation to pay or re-do. But the salary doesn't quite match the current role. He wants a re-do with a little more guaranteed. Will the Cowboys address it? That's the question.

One of the managerial cardinal don'ts is guaranteeing money to older players. High salary is one thing, but a guarantee is an entirely different beast. The older the player gets the more likely you'll eat some of the money. You might not eat it until he's 36 or 37 but you will.

The Cowboys are a business, and it's not that hard to pay 2-3 "Google Boys" $40,000 to $50,000 each to do to football what Billy Beane and Paul Podesta did to the Oakland As. The Cowboys were pioneers in that regard, the use of computers. So I'm sure they have a model of player longevity, they have every stat of every football player who ever played somewhere and some Bill James wanna be telling them everything from Ellis's career path to the tooth paste flavor he prefers.

But you can't project injuries and the older a player gets, the more he becomes injury prone and the longer it takes for him to recover. And that's all it would take, and all the production is over.

Players are more of a crap shoot than stocks. But players sometimes don't see it that way.

David.

 

[Angus]

Very good analysis, WoodysGirl. Thanks.

 

[big dog cowboy]

My take is pretty straight forward. If a free agent (Witten for example) is in the long term plans, he should get an extension/new contract before the last season of his existing deal begins. This will eliminate much drama the next year and simplfies the contingency plans for the specific player and position he plays.

If a free agent (Ellis for example) is not in the long term plans, he should not get an extension/new contract. We don't redo deals because someone has their feelings hurt. It should also be well known we won't negotiate through the media. A policy should be put in place so it is well known that crying to the media automatically eliminates any possibility of a new or restructured contract. We are a family and everything is kept in house.