Upcoming contracts situations

[LatinMind]

How can you start any thread reguarding FAs for the Cowboys and not begin with Dez Bryant. Its obvious the guy has earned big money. The question is how much? Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are at 16 mil a yr and then theres a drop off to everybody starting at 12.8mil for Percy Harvin. CJ and Fitz contracts are over 100mil then it drops off to 64mil. Antonio Brown just resigned last yr with Pitt for 48mil. Jordy Nelson signed a contract extension in July for 4 yrs 39mil. Me personally i dont think Dez is going to get the money he wants out of Dallas in terms of SB. Dallas has offered Dez a 10yr 114mil dollar contract with 20mil guranteed. I think that needs to go up to about 30. Thats 6mil prorated over the length of the first 5 yrs. Which im sure will be low base salaries probably in 2015 and possible in 2016. And im sure some fluff yrs at twards the end of the contract. I understand Dez needs to look out for himself, but he has to remember the Cowboys have been looking out for him for 4 yrs. If he wants to go the hardball route no doubt in my mind Dallas will franchise him 2015 and 2016 and looking for his replacement. Dez has come out and has said dont test my loyalty, Dez in first 3 yrs tested the cowboys loyalty over and over again. Sometimes his worst enemy is his mouth. But i hope Roc nation doesnt drop the ball on this deal. Jerry is as loyal as it gets in sports. Is Dez?

Doug Free has proved to be the leader of the OL. Its amazing how just 2 yrs ago he was one of the worst in the league and has turned it around in a big way. He knew he was bad and restructured, and now has rebounded. He deserves a new Deal. The guy is only 30 yrs old and is in his prime. He's not declining. Dallas could go with Parnell but why downgrade? The dropoff isnt so big that this option shouldnt be explored. But Free i dont see leaving unless he just asks for too much. I wouldnt cry with either of these two. But Id like for the team to draft a guy either way.

Rolando McClain is just a strange circumstance. Dallas clearly won that trade with the Ravens. The guy is a wall in the middle. He's been nicked up all yr but IMO thats just because of the choices he made before getting to Dallas. You cant quit football and then come back getting nicked up. He's just never gotten over them early injuries in TC. But you have to give it to him because he's suited up and sucked it up all yr. His play has dropped a little but IMO thats to do with his body getting tired. He should be alot better next yr after some rest in the offseason and and whole offseason of work. I dont think Dallas needs to break the bank for him tho. 5-6mil avg on salary a yr wouldnt be a bad thing for him or the Cowboys.

Bruce Carter is one of my favorite players and even i thought he was on his way out. But he has turned it around. Maybe it just clicked, but my guess is he's just healthy now. Early in the yr he was playing really good. Then he had a couple injuries that slowed him down in the middle of the yr. NOw he just looks healthy and he showing it. Teams cant run a screen on Dallas anymore because of this man. And he's been covering the the middle of the field as good as any Lber in the nfl over the last month. I really hope he gets resigned in Dallas. But it just depends on what this team wants to do with Hitchens IMO. I think Dallas will try to sign both Rolando and Bruce but will settle for one if the negotiations dont go the way they want. And insert Hitchens and possibly Durant in for the departed.

Dwayne Harris is agreat guy to have on your team. Special teams ace if i ever seen one. He might b one of the best ST players in the history of the nfl when its all said and done with him. He not only returns is great but he covers kicks great. makes tackles whatever the team needs. Just provides little to nothing as a WR. He has to come cheap for the team to sign him IMO. ST might suffer but you cant get into a back and forth for a player like this. Should be a easy resign.

Sterlin Moore should be a no brainer to be brought back. He improved throughout the whole yr and actually been one of the Cowboys most consistent players on defense. He's really improved since going to a man scheme. When teams were targeting him in the zone, they arent doing it as much in man because hes so physical. Give this man a new 4 yr deal and thats one less hole that needs to be filled. Patmon isnt ready to get a bump in playing time just yet. Moore should be resigned quick.

Ron Leary
Cole Beasley
Darrion Weems
Chris Jones
Lance Dunbar

Are all restricted FAs so its a given that all 5 will be brought back.

 

[darthseinfeld]

You left out Murray

 

[xwalker]

.....

How can you start any thread reguarding FAs for the Cowboys and not begin with Dez Bryant. Its obvious the guy has earned big money. The question is how much? Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are at 16 mil a yr and then theres a drop off to everybody starting at 12.8mil for Percy Harvin. CJ and Fitz contracts are over 100mil then it drops off to 64mil. Antonio Brown just resigned last yr with Pitt for 48mil. Jordy Nelson signed a contract extension in July for 4 yrs 39mil. Me personally i dont think Dez is going to get the money he wants out of Dallas in terms of SB. Dallas has offered Dez a 10yr 114mil dollar contract with 20mil guranteed. I think that needs to go up to about 30. Thats 6mil prorated over the length of the first 5 yrs. Which im sure will be low base salaries probably in 2015 and possible in 2016. And im sure some fluff yrs at twards the end of the contract. I understand Dez needs to look out for himself, but he has to remember the Cowboys have been looking out for him for 4 yrs. If he wants to go the hardball route no doubt in my mind Dallas will franchise him 2015 and 2016 and looking for his replacement. Dez has come out and has said dont test my loyalty, Dez in first 3 yrs tested the cowboys loyalty over and over again. Sometimes his worst enemy is his mouth. But i hope Roc nation doesnt drop the ball on this deal. Jerry is as loyal as it gets in sports. Is Dez?
The Franchise Tag makes Dez an issue that I don't even think about for this off-season. The Tag is expected to be about 12.8M. I don't see the point of paying Dez more than the Tag number as an average salary.

Doug Free has proved to be the leader of the OL. Its amazing how just 2 yrs ago he was one of the worst in the league and has turned it around in a big way. He knew he was bad and restructured, and now has rebounded. He deserves a new Deal. The guy is only 30 yrs old and is in his prime. He's not declining. Dallas could go with Parnell but why downgrade? The dropoff isnt so big that this option shouldnt be explored. But Free i dont see leaving unless he just asks for too much. I wouldnt cry with either of these two. But Id like for the team to draft a guy either way.
Free has not been injured for a long time and then he gets 2 separate injuries in the same season. He'll be 31 in 5 days which is not bad for an OLineman, but coupled with 2 injures, it's something to be concerned about. Free uses technique and quickness to overcome limited upper body strength. Players lose quickness with age faster than they lose strength so a player that is dependent on quickness is a higher risk to have a decline in ability with age. A player like Larry Allen could have had a 50% decline in ability and would still have been better than some NFL starters but Free is probably done is he has a 2% decline in ability.

Rolando McClain is just a strange circumstance. Dallas clearly won that trade with the Ravens. The guy is a wall in the middle. He's been nicked up all yr but IMO thats just because of the choices he made before getting to Dallas. You cant quit football and then come back getting nicked up. He's just never gotten over them early injuries in TC. But you have to give it to him because he's suited up and sucked it up all yr. His play has dropped a little but IMO thats to do with his body getting tired. He should be alot better next yr after some rest in the offseason and and whole offseason of work. I dont think Dallas needs to break the bank for him tho. 5-6mil avg on salary a yr wouldnt be a bad thing for him or the Cowboys.
I have no idea about this one. There is some risk with this player both in terms of injuries and the threat of retirement. It seems that he is past the retirement issues, but it has to be something that they think about when considering if they're going to pay him and how much. Once the contract goes above a certain amount, then there are probably other free agents to consider.

Bruce Carter is one of my favorite players and even i thought he was on his way out. But he has turned it around. Maybe it just clicked, but my guess is he's just healthy now. Early in the yr he was playing really good. Then he had a couple injuries that slowed him down in the middle of the yr. NOw he just looks healthy and he showing it. Teams cant run a screen on Dallas anymore because of this man. And he's been covering the the middle of the field as good as any Lber in the nfl over the last month. I really hope he gets resigned in Dallas. But it just depends on what this team wants to do with Hitchens IMO. I think Dallas will try to sign both Rolando and Bruce but will settle for one if the negotiations dont go the way they want. And insert Hitchens and possibly Durant in for the departed.
Carter is a good player to have on the team, but really difficult to determine his value. Hitchens started weeks 9 through 17 which Carter was healthy during that time frame but only started weeks 9, 10 and 17 in that time frame. That basically means that Hitchens was above Carter on the depth chart. There are some plays the Carter can make that some LBs probably can't but you never know when he'll zone-out for a play or a game. I think the coaches have been riding him hard to improve so I don't know if he wants to return here.

Dwayne Harris is agreat guy to have on your team. Special teams ace if i ever seen one. He might b one of the best ST players in the history of the nfl when its all said and done with him. He not only returns is great but he covers kicks great. makes tackles whatever the team needs. Just provides little to nothing as a WR. He has to come cheap for the team to sign him IMO. ST might suffer but you cant get into a back and forth for a player like this. Should be a easy resign.
He would probably like to go to a team that would offer him a chance to play more WR. If that happens he's probably gone. I would expect them to offer him about 1.5M per year.

Sterlin Moore should be a no brainer to be brought back. He improved throughout the whole yr and actually been one of the Cowboys most consistent players on defense. He's really improved since going to a man scheme. When teams were targeting him in the zone, they arent doing it as much in man because hes so physical. Give this man a new 4 yr deal and thats one less hole that needs to be filled. Patmon isnt ready to get a bump in playing time just yet. Moore should be resigned quick.
Moore is going to get a decent pay day.

Ron Leary
Cole Beasley
Darrion Weems
Chris Jones
Lance Dunbar

Are all restricted FAs so its a given that all 5 will be brought back.
Yes, Restricted FAs are not even worth discussing. If the team wants to retain them, they will.

 

[TheCount]

If Beasley walks, he'll be on on the Patriots or Broncos averaging 70 catches a year in no time.

 

[Eskimo]

Dez is a funny situation. He really is in that second tier of WRs below Calvin Johnson. I think somewhere around $12-13M/yr is fair and this is more than comparably productive WRs have been paid recently (Antonio Brown, Jordy Nelson).

If Dez doesn't agree I would probably tag him and work on a plan to consider his replacement. In all honesty, I think two good WRs are usually going to fair better than one exceptional and one below average WR. You just need guys with smarts who can beat 1-on-1 coverage which isn't all that hard to find with the current league rules.

I hope Dez comes to his senses and signs a deal in-line with other WRs in his range. If they bend for him they have to bend for everyone and we can't be in the business of paying players more than they are worth. You just can't sustain a roster in a hard salary cap league this way. I suppose the other alternative would be to tag and trade. Then go after a good WR in FA and maybe draft one with the pick you get back. It would be nice if TWill had stepped up more this year but he will probably always a remain a complimentary player

IMO, WRs are fairly replaceable although a guy like Dez is not generally replaceable with one player.

 

[LatinMind]

How can you start any thread reguarding FAs for the Cowboys and not begin with Dez Bryant. Its obvious the guy has earned big money. The question is how much? Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are at 16 mil a yr and then theres a drop off to everybody starting at 12.8mil for Percy Harvin. CJ and Fitz contracts are over 100mil then it drops off to 64mil. Antonio Brown just resigned last yr with Pitt for 48mil. Jordy Nelson signed a contract extension in July for 4 yrs 39mil. Me personally i dont think Dez is going to get the money he wants out of Dallas in terms of SB. Dallas has offered Dez a 10yr 114mil dollar contract with 20mil guranteed. I think that needs to go up to about 30. Thats 6mil prorated over the length of the first 5 yrs. Which im sure will be low base salaries probably in 2015 and possible in 2016. And im sure some fluff yrs at twards the end of the contract. I understand Dez needs to look out for himself, but he has to remember the Cowboys have been looking out for him for 4 yrs. If he wants to go the hardball route no doubt in my mind Dallas will franchise him 2015 and 2016 and looking for his replacement. Dez has come out and has said dont test my loyalty, Dez in first 3 yrs tested the cowboys loyalty over and over again. Sometimes his worst enemy is his mouth. But i hope Roc nation doesnt drop the ball on this deal. Jerry is as loyal as it gets in sports. Is Dez?
The Franchise Tag makes Dez an issue that I don't even think about for this off-season. The Tag is expected to be about 12.8M. I don't see the point of paying Dez more than the Tag number as an average salary.

Doug Free has proved to be the leader of the OL. Its amazing how just 2 yrs ago he was one of the worst in the league and has turned it around in a big way. He knew he was bad and restructured, and now has rebounded. He deserves a new Deal. The guy is only 30 yrs old and is in his prime. He's not declining. Dallas could go with Parnell but why downgrade? The dropoff isnt so big that this option shouldnt be explored. But Free i dont see leaving unless he just asks for too much. I wouldnt cry with either of these two. But Id like for the team to draft a guy either way.
Free has not been injured for a long time and then he gets 2 separate injuries in the same season. He'll be 31 in 5 days which is not bad for an OLineman, but coupled with 2 injures, it's something to be concerned about. Free uses technique and quickness to overcome limited upper body strength. Players lose quickness with age faster than they lose strength so a player that is dependent on quickness is a higher risk to have a decline in ability with age. A player like Larry Allen could have had a 50% decline in ability and would still have been better than some NFL starters but Free is probably done is he has a 2% decline in ability.

Rolando McClain is just a strange circumstance. Dallas clearly won that trade with the Ravens. The guy is a wall in the middle. He's been nicked up all yr but IMO thats just because of the choices he made before getting to Dallas. You cant quit football and then come back getting nicked up. He's just never gotten over them early injuries in TC. But you have to give it to him because he's suited up and sucked it up all yr. His play has dropped a little but IMO thats to do with his body getting tired. He should be alot better next yr after some rest in the offseason and and whole offseason of work. I dont think Dallas needs to break the bank for him tho. 5-6mil avg on salary a yr wouldnt be a bad thing for him or the Cowboys.
I have no idea about this one. There is some risk with this player both in terms of injuries and the threat of retirement. It seems that he is past the retirement issues, but it has to be something that they think about when considering if they're going to pay him and how much. Once the contract goes above a certain amount, then there are probably other free agents to consider.

Bruce Carter is one of my favorite players and even i thought he was on his way out. But he has turned it around. Maybe it just clicked, but my guess is he's just healthy now. Early in the yr he was playing really good. Then he had a couple injuries that slowed him down in the middle of the yr. NOw he just looks healthy and he showing it. Teams cant run a screen on Dallas anymore because of this man. And he's been covering the the middle of the field as good as any Lber in the nfl over the last month. I really hope he gets resigned in Dallas. But it just depends on what this team wants to do with Hitchens IMO. I think Dallas will try to sign both Rolando and Bruce but will settle for one if the negotiations dont go the way they want. And insert Hitchens and possibly Durant in for the departed.
Carter is a good player to have on the team, but really difficult to determine his value. Hitchens started weeks 9 through 17 which Carter was healthy during that time frame but only started weeks 9, 10 and 17 in that time frame. That basically means that Hitchens was above Carter on the depth chart. There are some plays the Carter can make that some LBs probably can't but you never know when he'll zone-out for a play or a game. I think the coaches have been riding him hard to improve so I don't know if he wants to return here.

Dwayne Harris is agreat guy to have on your team. Special teams ace if i ever seen one. He might b one of the best ST players in the history of the nfl when its all said and done with him. He not only returns is great but he covers kicks great. makes tackles whatever the team needs. Just provides little to nothing as a WR. He has to come cheap for the team to sign him IMO. ST might suffer but you cant get into a back and forth for a player like this. Should be a easy resign.
He would probably like to go to a team that would offer him a chance to play more WR. If that happens he's probably gone. I would expect them to offer him about 1.5M per year.

Sterlin Moore should be a no brainer to be brought back. He improved throughout the whole yr and actually been one of the Cowboys most consistent players on defense. He's really improved since going to a man scheme. When teams were targeting him in the zone, they arent doing it as much in man because hes so physical. Give this man a new 4 yr deal and thats one less hole that needs to be filled. Patmon isnt ready to get a bump in playing time just yet. Moore should be resigned quick.
Moore is going to get a decent pay day.

Ron Leary
Cole Beasley
Darrion Weems
Chris Jones
Lance Dunbar

Are all restricted FAs so its a given that all 5 will be brought back.
Yes, Restricted FAs are not even worth discussing. If the team wants to retain them, they will.

Why is frees injuries a concern? He fractured his foot and came back and hasnt had any concerns with that. And now he just has a sprain ankle. They are nothing to be concerned about.

Agree on McClain. His situation is strange. But i think the team wants him to play MLB. He makes the middle alot stronger.

 

[LatinMind]

You left out Murray

I think Murray is as good as gone.

 

[Tabascocat]

Dez better be signed. The tag should be used on Murray IMO, if possible. I do not want Bryant to be upset if he is tagged and leave. He is the top priority...........

 

[darthseinfeld]

If Beasley walks, he'll be on on the Patriots or Broncos averaging 70 catches a year in no time.

Wouldnt shock me. We dont use the slot like they do.

But ask yourself this, how many Super Bowls has Wes Welker one. I think feature small slot players is one of the more overrated things in football. IMO Beasley is used about as much as he should be here

 

[BigStar]

Agreed about Dez being #1 priority but agree that the 16/yr is just too much for a non QB. Want Ro back to but will it really take a 5/6 yr avg to retain him? That seems a little high for a MLB and higher-same rage as Lee's contract average?

 

[VACowboy]

Good post, LM. I agree with you on every point.

@Eskimo: I agree with you 100% on the WR thing.

We've been down the road of overpaid contracts before.

 

[Eskimo]

Agreed about Dez being #1 priority but agree that the 16/yr is just too much for a non QB. Want Ro back to but will it really take a 5/6 yr avg to retain him? That seems a little high for a MLB and higher than Lee's contract average?

No, Lee had incentives with escalators based on snaps played but basically got about $7M/yr AAV and I think $16M guaranteed. He was always a guy I was worried about signing long-term and right now it looks like we may have lost that gamble. He has missed the last 21 games now. Hopefully he comes back full strength next year but I don't think we can put him back at MLB again due to durability issues. He has too much dead money and too low of a base salary to release. We just have to hope that he has been unlucky in the past and now will have a good run of health.

 

[LatinMind]

Wouldnt shock me. We dont use the slot like they do.

But ask yourself this, how many Super Bowls has Wes Welker one. I think feature small slot players is one of the more overrated things in football. IMO Beasley is used about as much as he should be here

Beasley isnt going anywhere. Hes a RFA

 

[xwalker]

Why is frees injuries a concern? He fractured his foot and came back and hasnt had any concerns with that. And now he just has a sprain ankle. They are nothing to be concerned about.

He didn't miss a game for 5 straight seasons and then he misses 5 games due to 2 separate injuries the season after he turned 30. Yes, that is a cause for some amount of concern.

If you review the decline of many many NFL players, it starts with a couple of minor injuries.

 

[Fredd]

If only the Crystal ball would tell us if Lee will stay healthy...regardless, Ro needs to be back...carter? I like the guy, and if he could ever stay consistent, then the guy will surpass the 2ndround expectations...I salivate at a healthy and productive LB corps of Lee, McClain, Carter, Durant, Hitchens

the word on the street is that you don't need a stud WR to win the SB...I think the guy should be the top priority of all of the signings; he is the emotional face of the cowboys...I shudder to think who would provide that in his absence

the other top priority is keeping this OLine intact...yes, I want Free here for several more years along with Leary to go along with the young guns...Parnell as the swing tackle works fine by me...Berny as the swing G and back-up center is good as well...

many haven't said it, but I am not giving up on Mo...he gets one more chance with me; but, if he is healthy and still can't cover, he won't be a cowboy after next year anyway...Mo will make a huge difference in the secondary IMO if healthy and he gets up to snuff; it would make any potential decision on Carr that much easier to make...I like Mo, Carr, Scandrick as the top 3 with Moore the #4 guy...that is pretty solid to me

ah, the off season, I hope to NOT discuss it again until February

 

[Jenky]

My oh my. Someone has changed their tune on Dez Bryant.

13.5 mill a year with escalator incentives.

 

[LatinMind]

He didn't miss a game for 5 straight seasons and then he misses 5 games due to 2 separate injuries the season after he turned 30. Yes, that is a cause for some amount of concern.

If you review the decline of many many NFL players, it starts with a couple of minor injuries.

lol stop the presses. free on the decline due to a high ankle sprain

 

[big dog cowboy]

The tag should be used on Murray IMO, if possible.

It is possible but it would be a HUGE mistake. We have to many holes to fill to give Murray that kind of money.

 

[LatinMind]

It is possible but it would be a HUGE mistake. We have to many holes to fill to give Murray that kind of money.

forgot where i heard this from this past week, think it was on talkin cowboys but made alot of sense. While alot of people think Murray is making alot of money with this type of season it can easily be seen has losing alot from the amount of work he's getting in Dallas. Teams have history to look at witn RBs who have gotten this amount of work in a season. im willing to bet Murray isnt going to see the money he is looking for.

 

[Bluefin]

Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald are at 16 mil a yr and then theres a drop off to everybody starting at 12.8mil for Percy Harvin.

Larry Fitzgerald may have met the end of the road in the desert.

Arizona Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald does not expect to be back with the team in 2015, according to a source. Fitzgerald is scheduled to count $23.6 million against the salary cap next season and likely will not restructure his contract again. Fitzgerald is also not happy with his role in the offense and that he is no longer a focal point. link

Fitz is due an $8M roster bonus in March along with an $8M base salary and is reportedly unhappy with his role in the offense.

The Cardinals may be forced to try and trade the wideout, but would have no leverage due to the roster bonus in March.

Arizona already has over $151M in cap commitments for next season and Patrick Peterson is the only player who can free up a lot of cap space by restructuring.