In desperate need of salary cap relief, the Dallas Cowboys have begun restructuring the contracts of several veterans. While Tony Romo, Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick simply converted base salary into signing bonuses to create room, the situation with defensive end DeMarcus Ware will be more complicated. The Cowboys told Ware they want to keep him, but not at his current salary, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Cowboys won’t keep DeMarcus Ware on current deal
Dallas wants to restructure DeMarcus Ware’s contract and could end up releasing the All-Pro without a new deal.
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Ware is set to earn a base salary of $12.25 million next season and count $16 million against the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com. Dallas is roughly $1 million over the salary cap, even after freeing nearly $17 million with the other restructures. The combination of a lack of space, Ware’s bloated cap number and declining production could lead to a divorce between the former All-Pro and the Cowboys. A straight release is a possibility, but it isn’t the only potential outcome.
Ware remains in Dallas on current deal
This option seems highly unlikely given the salary cap situation and what Dallas told Ware on Tuesday. That said, there is a chance Ware calls the Cowboys’ bluff. If he declines to restructure his deal or take a pay cut, he’d force Dallas’ hand. The Cowboys could follow through and release the four-time All-Pro, or they could back down and keep him. Doing so would make very little sense, but if Jerry Jones has proven anything during the last decade, it’s that he has a knack for holding on to players too long.
Cowboys waited way too long to cut Ken Hamlin, Ratliff, Austin, Roy Williams. But they are going to cut Ware? Please.
— gregg rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) March 4, 2014 Ware agrees to a restructured deal
Ware is 31 and coming off the worst season of his career. He missed three games and posted career-lows with 40 total tackles and 6.0 sacks. His average salary of $13 million, however, is the third highest of any defender, trailing only Darrelle Revis and Clay Matthews. Unless Ware has a major bounce back season next year, his production fails to match his pay grade by a wide margin.
There is a chance Ware would be willing to reduce his salary in order to remain with Dallas. While he’d have suitors on the open market, it would be hard to gauge potential offers, and Ware may instead be better off locking in a deal with the Cowboys.
Other players in similar situations have reduced their base salary, with incentives added into the deal to recoup the money given up by hitting certain milestones. Even with a $5 million reduction in base salary next season, Ware would make $7.25 million and be among the highest paid 3-4 outside linebackers/rush defensive ends.
The Cowboys release Ware
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This is most likely the best move for Dallas and it has less to do with Ware and more to do with the current state of the Cowboys’ salary cap. Dallas has been in a perpetual state of restructuring contracts for the last few years, always managing to get under the cap while pushing the issue down the road. That’s a big reason why Ware’s contract is a problem now. He’s restructured multiple times, making the cap hits in the final years of his deal unbearable.
By releasing Ware now, the Cowboys would free up nearly $7.5 million in salary cap space this season. Perhaps more importantly, Dallas would eliminate Ware’s $17.5 million cap number for next season. Dallas’ cap problems aren’t going to go away anytime soon -- Romo is scheduled to count $28 million against the 2015 cap -- but releasing Ware now would be the first step to solving the issue. Ware will turn 32 this summer, so even if he has a few productive seasons left in the tank, he’s clearly on the downside of his career. When it comes to the NFL salary cap, it’s usually better to release a player a season too early than a season too late.
As for what Jones will do? That’s really anyone’s guess.
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