Will the Jahri Evans' deal in NO help Miles Austin?

[CCBoy]

Will Jahri Evans' deal in NO help Cowboys, Miles Austin?
Posted at 9:15 AM on Thu., May. 6, 2010
Todd Archer / Reporter


With Patrick Willis signing a five-year, $50 million extension with San Francisco and New Orleans locking up guard Jahri Evans with a seven-year, $56.7 million deal, it got me to thinking about Miles Austin.

The circumstances in the Willis' signing are different. He had two years left on his rookie contract, so it's hard to draw parallels to Austin. But Evans was a restricted free agent, just like Austin, with the same high tender of $3.168 million.

Evans was a fourth-round pick out of Division 2 Bloomsburg in 2006. Austin was undrafted out of Division 1-AA (now FCS) Monmouth in 2006. Evans has been named to one Pro Bowl. Austin has been named to one Pro Bowl. Evans has been a starter since the day he arrived in training camp. Austin became a starter five games into his fourth season.

Another difference: after missing the first two weeks of the off-season conditioning program, Austin has been a regular at Valley Ranch. Evans stayed away from New Orleans' program.

So how were the Saints able to get something done with so many unknowns regarding the NFL's economic future? For one, there was no 30 percent rule worry because Evans was a restricted free agent. But we'd need to see the breakdown and structure of the deal before we go into full detail of how Evans' contract might affect Austin's status.

I still think the Cowboys want to wait and see Austin back up his 2009 performance in which he caught 81 passes for 1,320 yards and 11 touchdowns before committing huge, huge cash to him. It's what they did with Tony Romo after he lit it up in 2006. Romo got his extension two months into the 2007 season.

But at least now both sides have a restricted free agent case study to look at when negotiations begin to get serious.

 

[Jarv]

Dumb Question probably, but since this is an uncapped year can we save on the cap next year (if it comes back) by signing Miles this year and give him his whole (or most of) bonus this year in the uncapped year?

I have no idea of what his contract would be worth, but lets say for example a 5 year deal for 50 million with 25 million guaranteed. So give him 20 million up front and have him make x dollars a year the next 5 years ?

To go to an extreme, its a gamble but give him 45 million this year and pay him 1 million a year the next 5 years, during the cap time and he would only cost 1 million/year during the cap years.

 

[TNCowboy]

Dumb Question probably, but since this is an uncapped year can we save on the cap next year (if it comes back) by signing Miles this year and give him his whole (or most of) bonus this year in the uncapped year?

I have no idea of what his contract would be worth, but lets say for example a 5 year deal for 50 million with 25 million guaranteed. So give him 20 million up front and have him make x dollars a year the next 5 years ?

To go to an extreme, its a gamble but give him 45 million this year and pay him 1 million a year the next 5 years, during the cap time and he would only cost 1 million/year during the cap years.

I think Jones' considerations towards new contracts are more concerned with real $$$, not just cap $$$.