I'm no cap expert by any means, but every year I read how the Cowboys are going to struggle with the cap, but they manage to find a way. Spencer will be gone. As will the vested vets McCray, Sims, Cook, Berny, Livings, and I'm sure I have missed a few. Give Hatcher Spencer's money and call it even. Franchise is the way to go. If his play declines, let him go next year. NO cap hit later when age catches up with him. No more dead money contracts for aging players. And, the simple fact is that Hatcher's play this year makes him look way better than any free agent DT out there. So, 8 mil for a probowler and team leader, or 4 mil for some unknown potential replacement. That's a no-brainer for me.
Next year cap we are projected to be 31 million over next year and that without Spencer's money because he doesn't have a contract next year.
Yes every year we are going to have trouble and Dallas has a plan of restructuring a few players which back loads more money and puts back at the cap.
We have options in Romo, Lee, Wittin's contract that we can ue to automatically restructure their contracts. Ware is out largest cap hit next year and we can rework his contract and extend him to lower that contract. By doing all that we will be right at the cap. Then cutting a few players might few up another 3-5 million. We will still have to have money for draft picks and to extend Dez who will be on his last year.
Sorry but franchising Hatcher would be stupid and we will not have the 8 million it would take to do it. We either sign him long term or let him walk. 4 year 26 million with 8 million signing bonus would be about right.
You say signing aging players is the wrong move but look at what we did with Spencer the last two years.
Hatcher will be 32 next year, he will be good for another two years, we can cut him then before his contract gets to high.
The bottom line is we will not have the money to pay him 8 million for one year, we will have enough to take a cap hit of 3.5 million.
But let play devil advocate and say we clear 13 million under the cap, need 4-5 for draft picks, that will leave just 8 million to spend and a DT franchise tag is 8 million. So we keep Hatcher and now have no money to sign any other players that could help us. Say we clear 13 million under the cap and sign Hatcher ;long term and his cap hit is 3.5 million that means we still have 5.5 million after draft picks to sign free agents.
I hate the franchise tag and using so much cap space on one player for only one year. Spencer was a 10 million cap hit this year, thats 10 million we could have used to help this OL or defense. I say sign the player to a 4 or 5 year deal where its affordable for the first 2-3 year and you can cut the player after 2 or 3 years with low dead money or let him walk and get the comp draft pick the next year for that player.
