Why Trading Collins in Off-Season Would Be Dumb

[CalPolyTechnique]

Trading Lael Collins right now would be monumentally dumb personnel move by the front office. The one caveat of course is if some team is willing to give quality draft capital (1st or 2nd round picks) for him.

So with that said here's why it would strategically dumb to release or trade Collins for 3rd day picks:

1. Whether he is traded or released moving on from Collins would create an apx. $14 million dead money cap hit. Keeping him would cost the cap just over $15 million, so there is no windfall of cap savings getting rid of him.
2. In terms of timing, players on the trade market are at their lowest value heading into the draft. Other teams have a pocketful of draft picks and the hope they can fill needs with cheaper talent.
3. Keeping Collins on the roster serves as protection in case Steele gets injured or craters in terms of his play.
4. If you hold on to Collins and trade him during the season, his value will be at its highest. There will be injuries on contending teams with playoff aspirations. There rosters are effectively set and paying a premium to fill a need makes trading premium draft picks more palatable.

Whether you agreed with the Cooper trade or not, getting rid of him made at least financial sense (as would trading/releasing D-Law) because of the cap savings it created.

The Collins situation is not the same and yet the Cowboys front office is inexplicably forcing the issue.

 

[Bowdown27]

If they can pull off a miracle and get a first or early to mid second for him I think we’d all be ok with him being traded and having the dead money.

but let’s be honest our front office doesn’t seem to be the best in making trades.

 

[Cowboys1fan]

Agree 100%. I can’t comprehend this move. Tyron smith gets hurt every 6 games and we won’t save but 1 million dollars? Sheesh these guys are *** thinkers

 

[Captain-Crash]

move him to left guard this will help Smith and his back. Smith can't block his guy and worry about conner's guy. trade for a center to protect the baby dak.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

move him to left guard this will help Smith and his back. Smith can't block his guy and worry about conner's guy. trade for a center to protect the baby dak.

For some reason I think that they think they can get by with Biadasz if they put better players around him.

I personally think Biadasz is a low-ceiling guy that needs to be replaced.

 

[Reality]

Trading Lael Collins right now would be monumentally dumb personnel move by the front office. The one caveat of course is if some team is willing to give quality draft capital (1st or 2nd round picks) for him.

So with that said here's why it would strategically dumb to release or trade Collins for 3rd day picks:

1. Whether he is traded or released moving on from Collins would create an apx. $14 million dead money cap hit. Keeping him would cost the cap just over $15 million, so there is no windfall of cap savings getting rid of him.
2. In terms of timing, players on the trade market are at their lowest value heading into the draft. Other teams have a pocketful of draft picks and the hope they can fill needs with cheaper talent.
3. Keeping Collins on the roster serves as protection in case Steele gets injured or craters in terms of his play.
4. If you hold on to Collins and trade him during the season, his value will be at its highest. There will be injuries on contending teams with playoff aspirations. There rosters are effectively set and paying a premium to fill a need makes trading premium draft picks more palatable.

Whether you agreed with the Cooper trade or not, getting rid of him made at least financial sense (as would trading/releasing D-Law) because of the cap savings it created.

The Collins situation is not the same and yet the Cowboys front office is inexplicably forcing the issue.

I am not arguing either way as I can only assume the Cowboys have their own reasons for wanting to move on from him.

That said, they could release him and designate him as a post-June-1st release so that they could save $10 million against the cap this season.

 

[Zordon]

Your POV lacks emotion. Some of these moves by the FO I’m convinced are driven by emotion. They are pissed at some of their high-priced guys for various reasons and are trying to punish them even to their own detriment. Don’t be surprised if these undisciplined losers start leaking negative things about La’el in the next few days.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

So with that said here's why it would strategically dumb to release or trade Collins for 3rd day picks:

That's just it, it has nothing to do with strategy. They want the player gone IMO. I'm 100% sure they are well aware of every point you laid out but don't care, they are done with him. Look at Zeke's contract issues, Stephen called him a warrior who we can't win without.

 

[sdfidaho]

Whatever the reason, they want rid of him….period.

So unless they want to continue to collect 5th round picks, I think the very best case scenario would be to send Collins and their 2nd to a team higher up the draft board for their 2nd. But more likely would be the same trade of picks in the 3rd or 4th, because Jerry is going to get fleeced in any trade that is worked out.

 

[Mr_437]

Your POV lacks emotion. Some of these moves by the FO I’m convinced are driven by emotion. They are pissed at some of their high-priced guys for various reasons and are trying to punish them even to their own detriment. Don’t be surprised if these undisciplined losers start leaking negative things about La’el in the next few days.

Exactly, Jerry was mad at Amari and he's mad at LC, so that's why their getting rid of these two players. The Cowboys owner has mad money and he'll never see another Cowboys SB win for his decisions.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I am not arguing either way as I can only assume the Cowboys have their own reasons for wanting to move on from him.

That said, they could release him and designate him as a post-June-1st release so that they could save $10 million against the cap this season.

Hmmm, forgot about that. With that said, there are four options with three being the only sensible options (again, trading him for premier draft capital notwithstanding):

1. Designate him a post-June 1 cut; or
2. Keep him on the roster for protection due to injuries or poor play by Steele; or
3. Trade him during the season when his value will be at its highest; or
4. Cut him before June 1st when it makes the least sense.

Why am I conditioned to believe they'll choose #4?

 

[dueyhemlock]

They want the player gone IMO. I'm 100% sure they are well aware of every point you laid out but don't care, they are done with him. .

Collins is in the doghouse.

1 car wreck incident / mysterious hip injury
2 shows up to camp out of shape
3 on the drug abuse program w/ a 1 yr. strike waiting to happen
4 then misses testing and tries to bribe his way out of testing
5 suspensions and injuries keeping him off the field
(can't make the club if your'e in the tube.....exception tyron)

On top of this, his play on the field has diminished.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Collins is in the doghouse.

1 car wreck incident / mysterious hip injury
2 shows up to camp out of shape
3 on the drug abuse program w/ a 1 yr. strike waiting to happen
4 then misses testing and tries to bribe his way out of testing
5 suspensions and injuries keeping him off the field
(can't make the club if your'e in the tube.....exception tyron)

On top of this, his play on the field has diminished.

Bingo!!!! It has ZERO to do with cap/money........

 

[Reality]

Hmmm, forgot about that. With that said, there are four options with three being the only sensible options (again, trading him for premier draft capital notwithstanding):

1. Designate him a post-June 1 cut; or
2. Keep him on the roster for protection due to injuries or poor play by Steele; or
3. Trade him during the season when his value will be at its highest; or
4. Cut him before June 1st when it makes the least sense.

Why am I conditioned to believe they'll choose #4?

They can cut him before June 1st but designate him as a post-June-1st release so they save the cap hit this year.

Now, if for some reason they decide to release him before then and not designate him as a post-June-1st release that would make you wonder if they are purposely hamstringing the team for the 2022 season to set up a good starting point for the next head coach and/or to reduce the demand for Kellen Moore for 2023.

 

[Outlaw Heroes]

They can cut him before June 1st but designate him as a post-June-1st release so they save the cap hit this year.

How is that helpful when the cap savings only kick in June 1? Great! We get cap space when it's too late to spend it on free agents who can help.

 

[Aven8]

Collins is in the doghouse.

1 car wreck incident / mysterious hip injury
2 shows up to camp out of shape
3 on the drug abuse program w/ a 1 yr. strike waiting to happen
4 then misses testing and tries to bribe his way out of testing
5 suspensions and injuries keeping him off the field
(can't make the club if your'e in the tube.....exception tyron)

On top of this, his play on the field has diminished.

 

[Reality]

How is that helpful when the cap savings only kick in June 1? Great! We get cap space when it's too late to spend it on free agents who can help.

The team gets the cap space immediately. They do not have to wait for June 1st, which is the meaning of "designate as a post-June-1st release".

That rule was implemented to prevent impending free agents from being stuck with their old team and missing out on the active free agency period and the draft and then released after June 1st.

This way, teams can release a player before June 1st but have it treated salary cap-wise like it was done after June 1st.

With the salary cap expected to rise a lot next year, I will not be surprised to see a lot of teams dumping high priced contracts this year.

 

[Outlaw Heroes]

The team gets the cap space immediately. They do not have to wait for June 1st, which is the meaning of "designate as a post-June-1st release".

Not so. When a team designates a player a June 1 cut, they continue to carry the contract and its cap charge on their books until June 1. Only then do they get the additional cap relief.

(ii) Acceleration.

(1) For any player removed from the Team’s roster, or whose Contract is as- signed to another Club via waivers or trade, on or before June 1 in any League Year prior to the Final League Year, or at any time during the Final League Year, any unamortized signing bonus amounts will be included in Team Salary for such League Year, except that for each League Year preceding the Final League Year, each Club may designate up to two Player Contracts that, if terminated (i) on or after the first day of that League Year; and (ii) on or prior to June 1 and if not renegotiated after the last regular season game of the prior League Year, shall be treated (except to the extent prescribed by Section 6(d)(iv) below) as if terminated on June 2, i.e., the Salary Cap charge for each such contract will remain in the Club’s Team Salary until June 2, at which time its Paragraph 5 Salary and any unearned LTBE incentives will no longer be counted and any unamortized signing bonus will be treated as set forth in Subsection (2) below. If acceleration puts a Team over the Salary Cap, the Team will have seven days to conform with the Salary Cap, but may not sign any players until there is Room to do so under the Salary Cap.

https://nflpaweb.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/NFLPA/CBA2020/NFL-NFLPA_CBA_March_5_2020.pdf

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

Collins is in the doghouse.

1 car wreck incident / mysterious hip injury
2 shows up to camp out of shape
3 on the drug abuse program w/ a 1 yr. strike waiting to happen
4 then misses testing and tries to bribe his way out of testing
5 suspensions and injuries keeping him off the field
(can't make the club if your'e in the tube.....exception tyron)

On top of this, his play on the field has diminished.

Jerry was and is disappointed by last year's outcome, so he's lashing out. Anyone that has rubbed him the wrong way is on the chopping block.

 

[cowboyec]

i thought i saw a report yesterday that its collins requesting a trade.
either way...his suspension was probably the final nail in his time here.