Spencer just put up a number better than Ahmad Brooks ever has.
Last year you might have been able to get him for that amount. Now? No way. I actually think prior to this season that the Brooks deal would have been a little high for him because of their career paths. Brooks was trending up while Spencer had appeared to plateau. Now though, I think Spencer is probably looking down at the Brooks deal and seeing a guy who has never played on the level he did this year and will likely ask for more.
Also, your prorated signing bonus amount is off. You can only spread a bonus over 5 years, as I myself was corrected on just a couple weeks ago.
So it would be 3.5M
Additionally, Brooks only got 7.5M in signing bonus money.
And according to Spotrac, his contract was 6 years, 37M. I think the remainder is incentives but I'm not sure. I've read some different articles on his contracts at different points and the numbers bounced around.
I really don't think the Brooks deal is likely at this point.
He just made 9M this season alone. He was paid 9M for production that was notches below where he came in. Why would he take a deal that has an average of 7M, much of which may not ever even get to his wallet if he gets cuts.
Bottom line is, Dallas painted itself into a corner last year regarding Spencer. You don't franchise guys to wait and see how it shakes out. You either get less than their dollar is worth, get what you have been getting which at that point wasn't even close to being worth it...........or you get what Dallas got. They got more than they had ever anticipated and now after paying for a 6 sack guy, he gave 11.
Price has gone up. I don't think Dallas can afford the guy when you consider the massive gaping holes on OL. Their best move is to franchise tag him and trade him.
In reality, the team isn't all that close. Look around the league, tons of teams fall in the 7-9 to 9-7 range. It's not like slight improvements puts Dallas into serious contention. It will put them in a position to play the "get in and see what happens" game but that shouldn't be your primary objective. Lots of holes, lots of question marks and it's time to just face facts and spend some time actually rebuilding. The cost of signing Spencer could be spread out to 2-3 quality players. If you can get a good draft pick for him, now you're talking about acquiring 3-4 players in place of Spencer.
He had a great season and earned a paycheck bigger than Dallas should be interested in paying. They have no business tying up money on a guy of his age after a breakout year. Any chance he ever plays out a 6 year deal? I doubt it. He's turning 29 in a few weeks and doesn't have the track record to make anyone think he could play at a high level well into his 30s.