Negotiating Leverage

[Sydla]

From the link I posted above:

3. Add voidable year to deal, restructure 2018 base

There's a problem there.

So what if Bryant's 2017 season isn't an anomaly, but rather he really is in decline? You can't really cut him in 2019 because it's a cap killer. And you'd be a moron to try to restructure him again.

Letting him play out 2018 on his current deal is the wise move. Because after this year, you can cut him for minimal pain if he declines further and if he doesn't, you have options - restructure again because you are confident he's not washed up, or just let him continue to play out his contract.

 

[jrumann59]

Figured the DHC would chime in eventually. Do you have anything to add to the leverage discussion?

Only when you take your strawman and go.

 

[Bleu Star]

I would add 3 years and 25m.... and I would guarantee 20m

That would leave us with 5/50m and 20m gtd.......... lower his cap hit to around 10m

Now we're talking. That's a start. What's the harm in trying to lower him to 8 where he belongs though?

 

[Bleu Star]

Only when you take your strawman and go.

Just for you sir. My tail is between my legs as I walk away slowly.....

 

[Sydla]

I would add 3 years and 25m.... and I would guarantee 20m

That would leave us with 5/50m and 20m gtd.......... lower his cap hit to around 10m

Risky though.

What if 2017 isn't an anomaly? What if he's washed up? You just kicked the can even further down the road for saving $6MM this year when we probably aren't going to use that space anyway.

 

[Bleu Star]

There's a problem there.

So what if Bryant's 2017 season isn't an anomaly, but rather he really is in decline? You can't really cut him in 2019 because it's a cap killer. And you'd be a moron to try to restructure him again.

Letting him play out 2018 on his current deal is the wise move. Because after this year, you can cut him for minimal pain if he declines further and if he doesn't, you have options - restructure again because you are confident he's not washed up, or just let him continue to play out his contract.

There is no perfect solution. We agree there. But one can reasonably deduce that the Dallas Cowboys are not going to go into next season without having a conversation with Dez about that contract.

 

[Bleu Star]

Stephen: Dez. We need to to go ahead & take a pay cut buddy. This will help is in other areas on the team.

Dez: Oh H to the No....

Stephen: "pulls out hedge cutters"

 

[Sydla]

There is no perfect solution. We agree there. But one can reasonably deduce that the Dallas Cowboys are not going to go into next season without having a conversation with Dez about that contract.

They already had a talk with him. And then did nothing.

I think they realize since they aren't going to use their available cap space they can create, it's smarter to just let Dez play out his 2018 season at his current number and then see where they are.

 

[Bleu Star]

They already had a talk with him. And then did nothing.

I think they realize since they aren't going to use their available cap space they can create, it's smarter to just let Dez play out his 2018 season at his current number and then see where they are.

I wouldn't call that a conversation or negotiation. They floated the idea.

Now they're gathering leverage to support an actual negotiation.

 

[Nightman]

Risky though.

What if 2017 isn't an anomaly? What if he's washed up? You just kicked the can even further down the road for saving $6MM this year when we probably aren't going to use that space anyway.

We need space right now for Hurns...... 2.5m for Draft, 1m for PS, 10m for IR/insurance, 8.5m for EThomas

No risk....dead money just shifted out

 

[Sydla]

I wouldn't call that a conversation or negotiation. They floated the idea.

Now they're gathering leverage to support an actual negotiation.

But what you think is leverage is nothing.

Bryant and his agent aren't going to be scared into taking a pay cut by Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson and a draft pick that hasn't happened yet.

They'll dare the Cowboys to cut him and then turn around and see that guys like Donte Moncrief just got $10MM, so Dez will likely be just fine on the open market.

 

[Bleu Star]

Oooh... I like this one better.

4. Convert base salary into incentives.

Another alternative would be to transform some of Bryant’s 2018 salary into incentives. Since he had a down year, the club could offer him a lower base salary — for example, $7.5 million — and a chance to make $5 million back in incentives.

When the club sets those benchmarks higher than what he achieved last year, they won’t count against the salary cap in 2018 because they’ll be classified as not-likely-to-be-earned (NLTBE).

NLTBE incentives only count against the salary cap once they’ve been achieved. They are calculated at season’s end and basically affect the amount of rollover cap space a team can carry. For example, after calculating LTBE (likely to be earned bonuses) that were missed, and NLTBE bonuses that were achieved, Dallas got an additional $3.2 million of rollover space to go into 2017 with.

Here’s just one example of how it could play out. Bryant finished 2017 with 69 receptions for 838 yards and six touchdowns. A new deal could reward him $1 million for 1,000 yards; another $1 million for 1,300 yards; $1 million for 80 catches; $1 million for nine touchdowns; and another $1 million for 12 touchdowns.

 

[Bleu Star]

But what you think is leverage is nothing.

Bryant and his agent aren't going to be scared into taking a pay cut by Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson and a draft pick that hasn't happened yet.

They'll dare the Cowboys to cut him and then turn around and see that guys like Donte Moncrief just got $10MM, so Dez will likely be just fine on the open market.

Let the drama unfold. I have a front row seat.