OTC: Free Agent Pass Rushers

[jterrell]

The can get to almost 7m under the cap by doing a bunch of restructures without dealing with Ware and Austin until June 1st. That is enough to sign a couple FAs. The problem is they would have to cut guys like Costa, Parnell and Durant before drafting their replacements.

Waiting until June for Ware and Austin would give the team the most relief this year and any leftover could be rolled over to 2015 after signing the draft picks and picking through the camp cuts. In Ware's case it would buy them more time to see if he is recovered from surgery and to work out a new deal.

Yup.

Problem with getting to that 7m number without Ware is that it means restructuring some questionable deals and cutting some players who can actually play at an NFL level before you get to camp to see what injuries even occur.
For a team in desperate need of MORE depth cutting the little quality depth we had would be suicide.

The alternative seems far more sound:
Restructure Ware as well but keep the 3 or 4 depth guys and still have 10M plus of cap space to work with in March.
Get one or two MORE players who can help you in FA.

Then draft and sign UDFA, then bring them all to camp and find the best 51.
Cut the vets amongst that group: Orton, Costa, Durant maybe even Bern; that do not pull their own weight.

You can then use that money saved plus the savings from Miles for draft class, usual cushion and 2015 rollover.

Hopefully by next year you can cut Ware June 2nd and really save a lot of cap cash. You should be in a far better position both from roster stand point and from a cap stand point.

 

[Nightman]

Yup.

Problem with getting to that 7m number without Ware is that it means restructuring some questionable deals and cutting some players who can actually play at an NFL level before you get to camp to see what injuries even occur.
For a team in desperate need of MORE depth cutting the little quality depth we had would be suicide.

The alternative seems far more sound:
Restructure Ware as well but keep the 3 or 4 depth guys and still have 10M plus of cap space to work with in March.
Get one or two MORE players who can help you in FA.

Then draft and sign UDFA, then bring them all to camp and find the best 51.
Cut the vets amongst that group: Orton, Costa, Durant maybe even Bern; that do not pull their own weight.

You can then use that money saved plus the savings from Miles for draft class, usual cushion and 2015 rollover.

Hopefully by next year you can cut Ware June 2nd and really save a lot of cap cash. You should be in a far better position both from roster stand point and from a cap stand point.

I do like the idea of a smaller pay cut(3-4m), coupled with a restructure. That seems like the best course of action on and off the field. They are a better team with Ware next year and that is the key point. They just can afford another 13m injury year.

 

[casmith07]

Yup.

Problem with getting to that 7m number without Ware is that it means restructuring some questionable deals and cutting some players who can actually play at an NFL level before you get to camp to see what injuries even occur.
For a team in desperate need of MORE depth cutting the little quality depth we had would be suicide.

The alternative seems far more sound:
Restructure Ware as well but keep the 3 or 4 depth guys and still have 10M plus of cap space to work with in March.
Get one or two MORE players who can help you in FA.

Then draft and sign UDFA, then bring them all to camp and find the best 51.
Cut the vets amongst that group: Orton, Costa, Durant maybe even Bern; that do not pull their own weight.

You can then use that money saved plus the savings from Miles for draft class, usual cushion and 2015 rollover.

Hopefully by next year you can cut Ware June 2nd and really save a lot of cap cash. You should be in a far better position both from roster stand point and from a cap stand point.

This is the most likely scenario if they don't do what I suggested in another thread - rip up Ware's contract, give him another extension with the same dollar figure he is set to earn but spread out over multiple years (4-5 years, with the intent that he never sees the last three or even four years of the deal) thereby pushing your dead money and cap hits down and although you're still taking cap hits upon release, you're "spreading" them out.

 

[jubal]

This is the most likely scenario if they don't do what I suggested in another thread - rip up Ware's contract, give him another extension with the same dollar figure he is set to earn but spread out over multiple years (4-5 years, with the intent that he never sees the last three or even four years of the deal) thereby pushing your dead money and cap hits down and although you're still taking cap hits upon release, you're "spreading" them out.

As Larry would say,"Getter Done".

 

[Questfor6]

Lamarr Houston & Henry Melton or bust!!!

 

[dogberry]

Trying to to prove that someone could be worst than Jerry, I restructured over $40 million in salaries and didn't cut anyone. That should free up $15 million in new spending after paying draftees. Got the left side of the bell curve locked in.

 

[Rockport]

Stephen is actually the cap guy.

Ultimately what they've done is lock in big-time contracts as virtual guarantees.
Dallas can't afford to cut Ware in June when it would offer the best cap relief because they are so far over the cap that his scheduled restructure is almost mandatory.

None of Ware's money this year is guaranteed but the Cowboys cap situation basically offers as such a guarantee.
That is likely why Ware's agent told him to shut up about a pay cut.
The Cowboys cap issues actually give Ware more leverage.

What would be the smartest move for Dallas with Ware is to plan for next year.
Get the cap in a situation where they can cut him next June and be working in the meantine to add some WDE so the team at least has guys on the roster.
Right now we have one WDE on the entire roster: Ware.
Ware had a very down year for himself but he was still 1000x better than any other WDE last year in Dallas.

Jerry controls everything including Stephen.

 

[Redball Express]

what is worth getting we cannot afford

This

It's going to take 2-3 more drafts and years coaching them anyway.

I'm not worried about whether its DE or DT or OG or Lber/safety..

..we need to take the best player at any position we have at 17.

Don't get cute..don't try to trade down..

don't trade up and reach.

Use you reports, draft your board and move on.

Don't give us all this VALUE bull when it comes to the player and oversell him to the world.

Let's just get it done and get it right.

For once.

 

[Nightman]

Terrell Suggs just re-did his deal with Baltimore. It's a very similar situation to Ware. It will be interesting to see what he got. Pass rushers should be in good supply this off season, no reason to over pay for Ware.

 

[LatinMind]

http://overthecap.com/looking-free-agent-pass-rushers/

Ware is going to have to take a pay cut or be released. If he takes a pay cut, he will still get around 7-8 million. If he gets cut, he is going to count about 3-4 million against the cap. To me, that says if we cut ties with him, we need to be shopping in the 3-5 million dollar range.

Obviously, we aren't going after Orakpo or Hardy. He has Spencer, Bennett, and Worilds in the 7-8 million a year range, which I think is too expensive. I like Michael Johnson or Robert Ayers. What say ou?

Where do you get 3-4 mil against the cap? Ware will cost $8,571,500. Dallas can cut Ware and can totally alter its cap situation in 2015. These kinds of posts make me one to slap the madden controller out your hands. Its clearly not just the money with Dallas. Its what Dallas thinks of Wares skills. Teams dont just up and cut a player like Ware without having exhausted every possible resource in finding a way to work within the cap.

I think this will end 3 ways.

Something gets worked out like Free. Take a pay cut, and void the final yr. If he has a big yr then he earns his last big payday probably for another team.

Rleased outright. Dallas takes a 8.5 mil cap hit and gets nothing for it.

Restructure and fans go crazy.

Me personally i think Dallas would go the first route. Its just a case of if Ware thinks he can get a deal that pays him more then 8mil in the market. Im willing to bet you he cant.

 

[CyberB0b]

Terrell Suggs just re-did his deal with Baltimore. It's a very similar situation to Ware. It will be interesting to see what he got. Pass rushers should be in good supply this off season, no reason to over pay for Ware.

Details aren't out yet, but they simply extended him, instead of him taking a paycut.

Details of the extension/restructure are unavailable, but under Suggs' old contract he was due a hefty $7.8 million base salary entering a contract year. That salary is will be chopped significantly, with Suggs losing little or no money and getting most or all of the rest back via a "signing" bonus.

 

[Nightman]

Details aren't out yet, but they simply extended him, instead of him taking a paycut.

I could see a 4yr/30m extension covering 2014-2017. Around a 8m signing bonus and guarantee 4m more in salaries for 2014 and 2015. That reduces his cap hit from 12.6m to 7.2m this year and leaves the option to keep him after 2015. They were talking about cutting him because of his injuries and diminished play. Sounds very familiar.

 

[CyberB0b]

I could see a 4yr/30m extension covering 2014-2017. Around a 8m signing bonus and guarantee 4m more in salaries for 2014 and 2015. That reduces his cap hit from 12.6m to 7.2m this year and leaves the option to keep him after 2015. They were talking about cutting him because of his injuries and diminished play. Sounds very familiar.

Extending a player who is declining because of injuries doesn't sound like a good strategy to me.

 

[Nightman]

Extending a player who is declining because of injuries doesn't sound like a good strategy to me.

He was going to cost 4.6m even if they cut him, so for 2.6m more they get another year out of him. Just like Ware, 60% of Suggs is better than most replacements or draft picks.

 

[Redball Express]

This is the most likely scenario if they don't do what I suggested in another thread - rip up Ware's contract, give him another extension with the same dollar figure he is set to earn but spread out over multiple years (4-5 years, with the intent that he never sees the last three or even four years of the deal) thereby pushing your dead money and cap hits down and although you're still taking cap hits upon release, you're "spreading" them out.

I don't really understand what is the issue about keeping Ware.

All players hit their downside and you have to stay away from being sucked down a black hole with contracts like Ware's.

Bruce Smith was another guy, like Ware, who hit the wall and had to be released.

Bruce Smith is HofF.

Ware is not.

Ware will barely make the Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium.

Stop obcessing about him.

He is not a mandatory player for this franchise going forward.

He's too small and light to anchor an end..

he's a fish out of water in this new defense.

Some fans are more romantic about this guy than the owner.

Got to move on, boys.

Garrett and Marinelli need players, not patients.

Ware is a constant patient in the treatment room anymore.

We can't afford this.

 

[locked&loaded]

I don't really understand what is the issue about keeping Ware.

All players hit their downside and you have to stay away from being sucked down a black hole with contracts like Ware's.

Bruce Smith was another guy, like Ware, who hit the wall and had to be released.

Bruce Smith is HofF.

Ware is not.

Ware will barely make the Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium.

Stop obcessing about him.

He is not a mandatory player for this franchise going forward.

He's too small and light to anchor an end..

he's a fish out of water in this new defense.

Some fans are more romantic about this guy than the owner.

Got to move on, boys.

Garrett and Marinelli need players, not patients.

Ware is a constant patient in the treatment room anymore.

We can't afford this.

ware isn't a hall of famer?

 

[Alexander]

Terrell Suggs just re-did his deal with Baltimore. It's a very similar situation to Ware. It will be interesting to see what he got. Pass rushers should be in good supply this off season, no reason to over pay for Ware.

Actually it is a totally different situation with Suggs. He was in the final year of his deal and was scheduled to carry a $12.4 million cap hit in 2014.

Ware still has four years left on his, each year greater by a good margin than what Suggs was scheduled to count.

 

[Dhragon]

ware isn't a hall of famer?

If he didn't play another down, Ware would still be heavily considered for HoF. Don't know why Redball doesn't think he will be HoF worthy after a few more seasons worth of stats to pad his total.

 

[Nightman]

Actually it is a totally different situation with Suggs. He was in the final year of his deal and was scheduled to carry a $12.4 million cap hit in 2014.

Ware still has four years left on his, each year greater by a good margin than what Suggs was scheduled to count.

It is almost exactly the same. Ware's contract is just a number on a piece of paper. Dallas is under no obligation to pay him another dollar. They have to take a 8.5m cap hit if they cut him, so they will probably try to keep him for another couple years for a little more guaranteed money than his cap hit would be. Just like Suggs.

Suggs got 2/16m, so I think Ware could get 2/18m guaranteed. 12m signing bonus, 2m salary for 2014 and 4m salary for 2015. That would reduce his cap hit in 2014 from 16.5m to 7.5m and from 17.5m to 9.6m in 2015. After 2015 he would still have 9.2m in dead money, but that could be spread over 2 years as a June 1st cut.

 

[Redball Express]

ware isn't a hall of famer?

If he returns to his younger days..

sure.

But I really don't think he will and if they keep him..

they are really going to be looking at a poison pill b/w his production and his cost.

I have to ax to grind about Ware..

he's been the heart of the old 3-4..

but this is a 4-3..very different expectations are needed.

We'll see.