Hyde5: Solving Dolphins? Step 1 is slashing $40M

[DKphin]

Put on your capology cap. We’re going to slash more than $40 million off the Dolphins salary cap. It’s time to delve into the Dolphins financial decisions for the first step on how to solve this off-season.

It doesn’t mean anything that the Dolphins are over the salary cap right now. It’s projected to be about $150 million next year and they’re at $159.1M. Each NFL team has people devoted to solving the salary cap and know the precise details of contractual clauses in ways we don’t.
The Dolphins are no different here. The example is the clause in Ndamukong Suh’s contract that allows the team to spread any year’s base salary over five years. That means the staggering $28.5 million salary-cap hit Suh was projected to have when the deal was signed last March will be reduced to a much more manageable cap hit of $9.8M for 2016.
That’s just one of the things the Dolphins will be doing. The cap savings there is $18.7 million Here some other decisions to make:
The obvious cuts (and cap savings)
DE Quinton Coples ($7.5 M) – The Dolphins took a look-see at Coples when the Jets cut him late last season. No one expected him to get this money for next year, and he didn’t do anything to change that thought.
WR Greg Jennings ($4M) – This money can be used to help re-sign Rishard Matthews.
DT Earl Mitchell ($2.5M) – Not a big savings, but Mitchell didn’t help last year.
TE Jordan Cameron ($7.5M) – His deal was going to get renegotiated even if he had a good year. He didn’t.
CB Jamar Taylor ($900,000) – Unless the new coaching staff sees something the old coaching staff didn’t, there’s no need to keep a guy you won’t play – even a young guy, even second-round pick, even a relatively inexpensive player at an impact position.
TOTAL SAVINGS: $22.4M
The possible :
*Cameron Wake. The Dolphins need either Wake or free agent Olivier Vernon back at defensive end. So where to put the money? Can you afford both? This isn’t an easy decision. Wake turned 34 last week, is coming off season-ending Achilles surgery and would save the Dolphins $8.4M by releasing. So that money could go toward re-signing Vernon, who led the league in quarterback pressures this past season (let’s remember that was in part due to Ndamukong Suh drawing double teams opposite him). Wake had seven sacks in his two healthy games this year. There will be a market for Wake if the Dolphins don’t want him. A contending team will want a proven pass rusher. The Dolphins plan would seem to be making a good-faith offer to Vernon. If he doesn’t take it, you put that money in Wake for this year and hope like many aging pass rushers he has another good year in him.
* Brent Grimes. Like Wake, there’s a question of where age and cost intersect, especially on non-contending teams. Grimes turns 33 in July. He’s still a starting NFL cornerback. He’s not the shutdown player of a couple of years ago, though. By releasing him, there would be a $6.5M cap savings ($3M in dead money). Or if the Dolphins want to play hardball by releasing him after June 1, there would be an $8M in cap savings. The Dolphins can try to negotiate down his deal – but would he take that to stay? Let’s not ignore derogatory comments his wife made about starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill, either. In some franchises that would get a descending, high-cost player let go – even one like Grimes, who says very little himself. The Dolphins already need one starting cornerback. What is decided on Grimes will stipulate if they need two.
Bottom-line: I just cut $41.1 million off the Dolphins salary cap with no appreciable difference in the roster. The real decisions will be on Wake/Vernon and Grimes. That gets into free agency and the draft. These are topics coming up.
But the real way to get better in the NFL remains a constant: Draft well. Jarvis Landry and J'Wuan James will cost the Dolphins $3.25 million next year. They have a $2.8 million dead-money cost against the cap for Phillip Wheeler, the linebacker who was released last off-season. Draft picks are young and cheap - a winning combination compared to free agents.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/...hins-step-1-is-salary-cap-20160203-story.html

 

[where's th'fish]

I hate how everyone just takes for granted we'll restructure Suh. Here's another great idea: restructure everybody and free up a hundred million dollars. Our eternal problem is we always do unwise things to try to fix everything in one offseason.

 

[maralieus]

Restructure wake, suh, tannehill, and Jordan cameron. keep OV. cut the rest.

 

[ChrisEAS]

im not sure cutting Wake is a good idea; he is still a good pass rusher which we need. We need to get him to stay at a lower price, he's getting up in age anyway.

 

[dlockz]

Restructure wake, suh, tannehill, and Jordan cameron. keep OV. cut the rest.

There is not one smart thing about restructuring Tannehill's contract, in reality he doesnt make that much for a qb and his following years will get much worse

 

[DolfanDuBbZ~]

There is not one smart thing about restructuring Tannehill's contract, in reality he doesnt make that much for a qb and his following years will get much worse

Doesn't it add dead money if the franchise decides to move on post 2016?

 

[dlockz]

Doesn't it add dead money if the franchise decides to move on post 2016?

Yes it does and it makes his other salaries much worse. His dead money right now is 6.9 in 2017, restructuring the contract would make it closer to 10.
I think people really dont understand that a restructure in reality doesnt save one dime , it mortgages the future. People say that its easy to restructure Suh's contract because its so high dont realize you create two huge cap hits later on and more guaranteed money by restructuring his contract.
Every bit of money restructured becomes guaranteed money

 

[So Be]

I do not believe he knows or understands as much as what has already been discussed here on FH.

 

[fininpsl]

Hyde forgot about the savings from cutting Dion Jordan. There are also saving to be had if we part ways with Misi, Brice McCain, or (everybody clap now!) Dallas Thomas.

 

[Kdawg954]

The smartest thing he said was cutting Jennings and using that money for Rishard.

Restructure Wake and Cameron.

No way in hell you cut Jamar Taylor before the preseason. Just not smart . . . He may eventually get cut but you bring in your new staff and have them work with him.

Grimes is the toughest call. Mainly due to the baggage of his wife. Clear top CB on this team and the drop off from him to the next guy is arguably the biggest drop off in talent on this entire team. That said we are not going anywhere next year so why not use his money to invest into younger cb options or just roll with a cheaper vet and let the youngins get their lumps.

 

[So Be]

I have pretty much learned to ignore the media an salary cap issues. I recall many of them having us in cap hell the last two years until they learned better. Last year was very funny. We are in cap hell and can do little of nothing. Yet, we signed Suh and extended Tannehill with Pouncey to spend a ton.

 

[dlockz]

I have pretty much learned to ignore the media an salary cap issues. I recall many of them having us in cap hell the last two years until they learned better. Last year was very funny. We are in cap hell and can do little of nothing. Yet, we signed Suh and extended Tannehill with Pouncey to spend a ton.

And signed nobody else of any significance, any team can spend big an get one player if they ignore every other position. Signing Pouncey and Tannehill had no ill affect on cap because they were extensions at time this years cap hit for Pouncey though is 10 million and he will be an average cap hit of like 9 million over the term of his contract. Pouncey and Tannehill still had one year left on their contract which made a big difference.