Veteran Cap Savings - 2025

[youngjerryjones]

Hello Zoners,

As suggested, I do research for my own DC page where I make content. As I can't share the page, I'll share the research for discussion purposes here:

Dead Cap & Cap Savings - Cut Post June 1

Zack Martin -

Dead cap here is always going to be an issue at 9.4M. The cap savings is minimal at 1.2M but I do not see this player returning for another ride with how the team is constructed. Seems like this team is 2 year(s) away at least from that and Zack is already 34 years old breaking down. If it is injuries and he wants to play another year we can extend him and likely just pay the 10M regardless.

Donovan Wilson -

Dead cap here is 1.65M with a cap savings of 7M. Cannot see us keeping this player with 2 young cheaper safeties that can do better. Huge regression this year and needs to be purged from the defense. Signed as a hard hitter, just getting beat down in coverage week to week.

Terrance Steele -

If the Cowboys do not want to take Cam Ward or Shadeur Sanders next year with their top 5 pick, they will definitely go OL or DL. Potential for a skill-position here as well with Travis Hunter or another WR but likely they will pick OL/DL if not QB with a pick this high. This brings me to T.Steele. It might be writing on the wall that he will be replaced by a day 1 started in Rd 1 next year - but it is course for this team to keep a regressing player until he is completely done because they do not want the sunken cost fallacy. Dead Cap 4.125M and Cap Savings of 14M. These cap savings are the same for 2025 and 2026 so we could see them giving Steele one more chance before getting him off the books.

Malik Hooker -

Dead Cap 2M with cap savings of 5.75M. I am at the point where our safety play is atrocious and his shoulder tackling erks me just like Diggs. We need more physical safeties and I'll take 5M in savings. He beefed Micah this off-season over the podcast too so I can see him being an outlier.

DLAW -

There is 7.4M in Dead Money - I can see them doing a team friendly restructure because the only two people we have on the dline is Parsons and Kneeland.

Cooks

Dead Money 2M and Cap Savings 2M - aging player with little to no production in 2024 due to injury.

Total Cap Savings - 28-30M.
Total Cap Space 2025 - 24M projected
+ 20.8M carryover (2024) + Savings from Vets (25+)

= +70M in available cap for 2025 new head coach with a top 5 draft pick.

 

[John813]

From OTC:

The Cowboys restructured the contract in 2024, converting $16.25 million into a signing bonus to create $13 million in cap room for the Cowboys. Martin's contract is now also structured to allow the Cowboys to designate Martin a June 1 cut in 2025 for salary cap purposes rather than having his contract expire.


His contract is going to void in 2025, just not before the start of the season, allowing the team to designate him to spread his dead cap over two years.
IMO he's done after this season. Between his play and his comments on retirement, this is his last season here.

Steele's 2025 base becomes fully guaranteed March 16th. It becomes fully guaranteed also if he's injured and can't pass a physical.
Dallas better bench him towards the end of the year if they are done with him and want to cut him in 2025.

 

[irishline]

Hello Zoners,

As suggested, I do research for my own DC page where I make content. As I can't share the page, I'll share the research for discussion purposes here:

Dead Cap & Cap Savings - Cut Post June 1

Zack Martin -

Dead cap here is always going to be an issue at 9.4M. The cap savings is minimal at 1.2M but I do not see this player returning for another ride with how the team is constructed. Seems like this team is 2 year(s) away at least from that and Zack is already 34 years old breaking down. If it is injuries and he wants to play another year we can extend him and likely just pay the 10M regardless.

Donovan Wilson -

Dead cap here is 1.65M with a cap savings of 7M. Cannot see us keeping this player with 2 young cheaper safeties that can do better. Huge regression this year and needs to be purged from the defense. Signed as a hard hitter, just getting beat down in coverage week to week.

Terrance Steele -

If the Cowboys do not want to take Cam Ward or Shadeur Sanders next year with their top 5 pick, they will definitely go OL or DL. Potential for a skill-position here as well with Travis Hunter or another WR but likely they will pick OL/DL if not QB with a pick this high. This brings me to T.Steele. It might be writing on the wall that he will be replaced by a day 1 started in Rd 1 next year - but it is course for this team to keep a regressing player until he is completely done because they do not want the sunken cost fallacy. Dead Cap 4.125M and Cap Savings of 14M. These cap savings are the same for 2025 and 2026 so we could see them giving Steele one more chance before getting him off the books.

Malik Hooker -

Dead Cap 2M with cap savings of 5.75M. I am at the point where our safety play is atrocious and his shoulder tackling erks me just like Diggs. We need more physical safeties and I'll take 5M in savings. He beefed Micah this off-season over the podcast too so I can see him being an outlier.

DLAW -

There is 7.4M in Dead Money - I can see them doing a team friendly restructure because the only two people we have on the dline is Parsons and Kneeland.

Cooks

Dead Money 2M and Cap Savings 2M - aging player with little to no production in 2024 due to injury.

Total Cap Savings - 28-30M.
Total Cap Space 2025 - 24M projected
+ 20.8M carryover (2024) + Savings from Vets (25+)

= +70M in available cap for 2025 new head coach with a top 5 draft pick.

You do know that all of your post-June 1st cut savings cannot be used until after June 1st correct? Meaning it will not be there for free agency. Not that I disagree with anything you said, but all of those cap savings will not be there for top free agents. Pretty much the only way to generate that would be pre-June 1st cuts and/or restructuring (Dak, CeeDee, and Parsons would be the biggest 3 unfortunately on that front)

 

[fivetwos]

From OTC:

The Cowboys restructured the contract in 2024, converting $16.25 million into a signing bonus to create $13 million in cap room for the Cowboys. Martin's contract is now also structured to allow the Cowboys to designate Martin a June 1 cut in 2025 for salary cap purposes rather than having his contract expire.


His contract is going to void in 2025, just not before the start of the season, allowing the team to designate him to spread his dead cap over two years.
IMO he's done after this season. Between his play and his comments on retirement, this is his last season here.

Steele's 2025 base becomes fully guaranteed March 16th. It becomes fully guaranteed also if he's injured and can't pass a physical.
Dallas better bench him towards the end of the year if they are done with him and want to cut him in 2025.

Steeles 2025 salary was guaranteed this past March.

That’s a position that they love to back themselves into…making the player essentially uncuttable…probably to save on up front cash. Yeah, I think the kid is THAT cheap.

 

[fivetwos]

You do know that all of your post-June 1st cut savings cannot be used until after June 1st correct? Meaning it will not be there for free agency. Not that I disagree with anything you said, but all of those cap savings will not be there for top free agents. Pretty much the only way to generate that would be pre-June 1st cuts and/or restructuring (Dak, CeeDee, and Parsons would be the biggest 3 unfortunately on that front)

No problem. They can just roll it over to save up to sign guys years down the road.

 

[John813]

Steeles 2025 salary was guaranteed this past March.

That’s a position that they love to back themselves into…making the player essentially uncuttable…probably to save on up front cash. Yeah, I think the kid is THAT cheap.

Where did you see that? Spotrac says 3/16/25 OTC says 3/17/25.
Or was that done when they restructured him this offseason?

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Got to save every dollar to sign our own players to a way above market value contracts!

 

[irishline]

No problem. They can just roll it over to save up to sign guys years down the road.

Now that would be true.

 

[tm1119]

Groundhog’s Day- talk about all the cap savings we can have and the players we could sign…only to sign 3 over the hill vets in July/August

 

[Bigrandrn]

Steeles 2025 salary was guaranteed this past March.

That’s a position that they love to back themselves into…making the player essentially uncuttable…probably to save on up front cash. Yeah, I think the kid is THAT cheap.

Jerry is NOT good with contracts or the cap.

 

[fivetwos]

Where did you see that? Spotrac says 3/16/25 OTC says 3/17/25.
Or was that done when they restructured him this offseason?

Just checked again. Something changed. I’ve been so pissed over it that I know I didn’t read it wrong. Looked at it more than once…or maybe they had it wrong to begin with, but they do tend to structure deals that way so I figured it was right.

What we do know is that 50 million is guaranteed. I’ll take a closer look in a few…

 

[Kingofholland]

Hello Zoners,

As suggested, I do research for my own DC page where I make content. As I can't share the page, I'll share the research for discussion purposes here:

Dead Cap & Cap Savings - Cut Post June 1

Zack Martin -

Dead cap here is always going to be an issue at 9.4M. The cap savings is minimal at 1.2M but I do not see this player returning for another ride with how the team is constructed. Seems like this team is 2 year(s) away at least from that and Zack is already 34 years old breaking down. If it is injuries and he wants to play another year we can extend him and likely just pay the 10M regardless.

Donovan Wilson -

Dead cap here is 1.65M with a cap savings of 7M. Cannot see us keeping this player with 2 young cheaper safeties that can do better. Huge regression this year and needs to be purged from the defense. Signed as a hard hitter, just getting beat down in coverage week to week.

Terrance Steele -

If the Cowboys do not want to take Cam Ward or Shadeur Sanders next year with their top 5 pick, they will definitely go OL or DL. Potential for a skill-position here as well with Travis Hunter or another WR but likely they will pick OL/DL if not QB with a pick this high. This brings me to T.Steele. It might be writing on the wall that he will be replaced by a day 1 started in Rd 1 next year - but it is course for this team to keep a regressing player until he is completely done because they do not want the sunken cost fallacy. Dead Cap 4.125M and Cap Savings of 14M. These cap savings are the same for 2025 and 2026 so we could see them giving Steele one more chance before getting him off the books.

Malik Hooker -

Dead Cap 2M with cap savings of 5.75M. I am at the point where our safety play is atrocious and his shoulder tackling erks me just like Diggs. We need more physical safeties and I'll take 5M in savings. He beefed Micah this off-season over the podcast too so I can see him being an outlier.

DLAW -

There is 7.4M in Dead Money - I can see them doing a team friendly restructure because the only two people we have on the dline is Parsons and Kneeland.

Cooks

Dead Money 2M and Cap Savings 2M - aging player with little to no production in 2024 due to injury.

Total Cap Savings - 28-30M.
Total Cap Space 2025 - 24M projected
+ 20.8M carryover (2024) + Savings from Vets (25+)

= +70M in available cap for 2025 new head coach with a top 5 draft pick.

Thanks for the numbers, for DLAW, Martin, and Cooks they're all free agents with dummy contract years for restructures so don't control their contracts any longer. I think Martin retires, Cooks goes somewhere else, and Dlaw is a maybe. Unfortunately Kneeland got injured too which was a great opportunity to show if the Cowboys didn't consider resigning dlaw.

 

[fivetwos]

Where did you see that? Spotrac says 3/16/25 OTC says 3/17/25.
Or was that done when they restructured him this offseason?

Following up….

Once they took Guyton I had the bright idea of playing him at RT, so I checked with the same site you used about Steele. I noticed they used that same structure as they had with Elliot and others, which involves a lower bonus but makes them virtually uncuttable for a time since the guarantee for a later season kicks in before the upcoming one starts. 18 months in advance.

Someone here gave me a hard time over this about two weeks ago and I checked then also. I will vouch under oath that Sportrac had it differently all along lol.

Now….I’d be quite happy to be wrong in this case, or if they were or whatever. Not about that. I think Steele sucks and never didn’t, let alone being worth that type of contract.

Thing is….it’s still reported as being 50 million guaranteed, yet between the signing bonus and 23 and 24 salaries, he has only been paid about 18 million.

What I don’t know much of at all is how the guarantees work….as in injury vs just being cut, and I’m sure these sites are a bit lax on it as well. Also the “guaranteed at sign” vs “total guarantee.” It’s 50 million vs 23 in this case.

Either way, they are proud of themselves for their UDFA “find” and I doubt they cut bait. Unless a new regime takes over that has actual authority and doesn’t mind telling this braintrust that the guy stinks. Sadly and honestly, I think Asim Richards is a better player.

 

[youngjerryjones]

You do know that all of your post-June 1st cut savings cannot be used until after June 1st correct? Meaning it will not be there for free agency. Not that I disagree with anything you said, but all of those cap savings will not be there for top free agents. Pretty much the only way to generate that would be pre-June 1st cuts and/or restructuring (Dak, CeeDee, and Parsons would be the biggest 3 unfortunately on that front)

They will not be there for top FA but if you look at the FA class for 2025 it is very weak. You can take a look and see WR such as Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins, Stefon Diggs, Tee Higgins and Chris Godwin are at the cream of the crop. 2 are now injured for the season and Tee Higgins is likely the only young WR worth paying but a bonafide 2. This telegraphs why they went for Mingo.

In terms of other positions such as DT, DE and LB it is slim picking. These cap savings would be for future years to carry-over and reset the team potentially.

 

[youngjerryjones]

Thanks for the numbers, for DLAW, Martin, and Cooks they're all free agents with dummy contract years for restructures so don't control their contracts any longer. I think Martin retires, Cooks goes somewhere else, and Dlaw is a maybe. Unfortunately Kneeland got injured too which was a great opportunity to show if the Cowboys didn't consider resigning dlaw.

Sam Williams and Kneelaw injuries likely changed the trajectory for the DE position in the future. It may be in the cards to re-sign Dlaw to a short-term contract.

 

[youngjerryjones]

Following up….

Once they took Guyton I had the bright idea of playing him at RT, so I checked with the same site you used about Steele. I noticed they used that same structure as they had with Elliot and others, which involves a lower bonus but makes them virtually uncuttable for a time since the guarantee for a later season kicks in before the upcoming one starts. 18 months in advance.

Someone here gave me a hard time over this about two weeks ago and I checked then also. I will vouch under oath that Sportrac had it differently all along lol.

Now….I’d be quite happy to be wrong in this case, or if they were or whatever. Not about that. I think Steele sucks and never didn’t, let alone being worth that type of contract.

Thing is….it’s still reported as being 50 million guaranteed, yet between the signing bonus and 23 and 24 salaries, he has only been paid about 18 million.

What I don’t know much of at all is how the guarantees work….as in injury vs just being cut, and I’m sure these sites are a bit lax on it as well. Also the “guaranteed at sign” vs “total guarantee.” It’s 50 million vs 23 in this case.

Either way, they are proud of themselves for their UDFA “find” and I doubt they cut bait. Unless a new regime takes over that has actual authority and doesn’t mind telling this braintrust that the guy stinks. Sadly and honestly, I think Asim Richards is a better player.

I believe the way the GTD works in this case is it is held up for the remaining years and since it is split up for the next 3 - we would still have significant cap savings even if we took the L by cutting him late one year. The issue is they will always hope for a return to form, coaching change or just believing in his work ethic for him to come back but it is time to say he will never be the same. He gets beat like a drum and sometimes top tier edge rushers even would rather play to his side rather than Guytons.

Guyton would be a great fit at RT. If we do pick in the top 10 and it is not QB, we likely may go OT or OT/OG position flex as this team will do the same thing with Mazi Smith - hold on until they don't have to pay him anymore and until then likely will not reinvest capital to the position - they evaluate it poorly.