Greg Hardy signed...

Greg Hardy's contract will affect cap eventually
March, 19, 2015

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys did not need to restructure any contracts to get Greg Hardy's contract to fit under the salary cap. Yet.

By the time the third week of the regular season rolls around, they will have to account for roughly $8.1 million in the remaining $9.25 million per-game roster bonuses Hardy will receive throughout the season as long as he is on the 53-man roster.

Because he was on the Carolina Panthers' 53-man roster for two weeks in 2014, 14 of the per-game bonuses are considered not-likely-to-be-earned and will hit the cap one week at a time at $578,125 per game. If he is suspended or on injured reserve, the Cowboys would receive cap credits for each game he misses.

So how do the Cowboys get that cushion?

There are several ways. They could sign Dez Bryant to a long-term deal so he doesn't count $12.823 million against the cap on the franchise tag but that does not appear likely at this time. They could gain $8 million in space by designating Brandon Carr a post-June 1 cut, but then they would need a cornerback.

The easiest and most likely way is to restructure the contract of quarterback Tony Romo. The question is when they do it.

As the Cowboys mapped out their offseason plan, they intended to re-work Romo's contract all along, but instead of taking a small chunk of the quarterback's $17 million base salary to avoid larger cap figures in the future, they will likely have to re-do the full amount.

The Cowboys can create about $12.8 million in cap space, but turning $16 million of Romo's base salary into signing bonus, which would trim his salary-cap figure from $27.773 million to $14.973 million.

The good: that money will allow the Cowboys to cover Hardy's roster bonuses, give them money for their draft picks as well as smaller potential signings and their practice squad.

The bad: Romo's cap numbers from 2016-19 will increase by $3.2 million per season. He turns 35 in April and it's always risky to add cap figures on players as they get older.

It's not the best way to manage the cap, but the Cowboys felt like getting a game-changer like Hardy was worth the potential cap implications in the future.

Dale Hansen rips Cowboys for the Hardy signing. Damn.

Fuck you Dale Hansen.

Iamtdg said:

Dale Hansen rips Cowboys for the Hardy signing. Damn.

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Dale Hansen is still but hurt because he's no longer an insider along with Brad Sham.

What I mean is he sure didn't have a problem with drug use and whatnot when he was pals with Troy and others all while sitting next to Sham in the broadcast booth. But now that he's no longer one of the boys and had to give his job to Babe Laughenburg, he want's to play the holier than thou card.

I don't buy it.

If the case was dismissed, it really shouldn't matter. If I'm working at a place of business and get charged with felony assault but the charges are dropped, does that mean that I still can't work to support my family?

Plan9Misfit said:

It means Todd Gurley.

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The injury concerns me. He's going to get hit a lot harder in the pros.

Dale. Chillax, bitch.

Adding Greg Hardy is another teachable moment

By Mac Engel

tengel@star-telegram.com

Jason Garrett should cease to mention and drop all use of the word character when it comes to evaluating a football player.

A man who craftily says nothing as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, ostensibly because he is aware of the many facets of the organization he represents, has said everything about character with the addition of defensive end Greg Hardy.

Coach Process is a fraud just like every other football coach in the NFL, or college, when it comes to character. Garrett is as desperate as the rest, and character matters when it’s convenient. We already knew this, but this is yet another reminder.

Greg Hardy, welcome to Texas, where we love football almost as much as we love guns.

The Cowboys’ signing of a guy who was charged with beating the tar out of his girlfriend will be criticized because of his “infraction” last year that led the NFL to suspend him and the Carolina Panthers to cut him.

I hate this, not only because of his “background” but also because the Panthers wanted nothing in return, and I have to explain this to my kid. Jerry — you’ve got four kids — any suggestions on this one?

How do you explain Greg Hardy to a 5-year-old, or any kid?

Everybody deserves a second chance. But how do you explain that to a kindergartner who believes that boys don’t hit girls and people should keep their hands to themselves? It’s not complicated, and physical contact is not gender- specific. It’s hurtful and disrespectful and can permanently alter lives.

During a trial in July, a judge in Charlotte, N.C., found Hardy guilty of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Prosecutors claimed Hardy flung her from the bed, threw her into a bathtub and tossed her onto a futon covered with rifles. He also ripped off a necklace and reportedly slammed the toilet lid on her arm as she tried to retrieve it. And then he threatened to kill her.

Hardy’s attorneys filed an appeal for a jury trial, which was supposed to happen in February. But all charges were dropped when the accuser failed to show up to testify. The prosecution said Hardy and the woman were believed to have reached a civil settlement — i.e., he bought her off.

The NFL is now suing the North Carolina attorney general for access to this evidence, which the league may use to suspend Hardy. Bet big that Hardy will be suspended for six games to start the 2015 season. And expect the NFL Players Association to fight a suspension and lose.

So far for his crime, Hardy’s penalty was to miss 15 NFL games in 2014, and he received his full salary. Now Hardy is a Dallas Cowboy with an incentive-loaded deal that could pay him $13.1 million.

How do you explain this to a kindergartner who believes in right, wrong, equality, be nice to our friends, and punishment for misdeeds and mistakes?

As tempting as it is to lie, age-appropriate truth is the better alternative.

Not everyone is treated the same, and sometimes exceptions will be made for those who do the wrong thing. It doesn’t make it right, and realities such as this are disgusting. I love sports, but these stories just further prove our warped priorities and allowances for criminal behavior all in the name of entertainment.

There was minimal disgust over Hardy’s signing, and the reaction on social media was everything from “Hooray!” to “We got our pass rusher!”

One fan wrote me: “Dallas did its due diligence on his past, and still signed him. That should say something.”

On the contrary, it says nothing. The due diligence the Cowboys did was on their defense and their lack of a pass rusher.

They have done due diligence on Dimitrius Underwood, Ken Hamlin, Pacman Jones, Alonzo Spellman, Tank Johnson, Al Johnson, Josh Brent and on and on, and it never stops them.

Every NFL team deals with questionable guys, but when a proven pass rusher, at only age 26, is not re-signed for nothing is the reddest of red flags. The Panthers did not like a guy who has had “character” concerns.

No one loves a red flag more than our Jerry. And no one loves a cheap deal more than our Stephen.

No need for Jerry Jones to spew some rhetoric that he is “sensitive” to the concerns of others, because we know he doesn’t care. For that matter, please don’t waste our time and trot out poor Cowboys life coach Calvin Hill as if he is going to somehow make a difference with these guys.

The age-appropriate truth here is that Garrett is no different from any other NFL coach. Character matters only when convenient, and the moment Hardy sacks the quarterback, we won’t care, either.

And I have no idea how to explain that to a kid.

Jerry, any suggestions?

Haha...how do you explain Hardy to a 5 year old? WGAS...how did we explain Irvin when he was stabbing McIver in the neck?

Hey Mac Engel, go tell your kid to play Candyland and shut the fuck up. That's what you tell him.

Carp said:

Haha...how do you explain Hardy to a 5 year old?

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Right?! We just want him to kill opposing qb's like he's paid to do. Does a 5 year old understand that?

Ugh. The hand wringing in the media over this is stupid. Beyond stupid.

Hey Mac, how do you explain to your 5 year old that you are judging a man without knowing all the facts? How do you explain to your 5 year old that you believe that any wrong doing a person may take part in should define and condemn him his entire life? How do you explain to your 5 year old that you are calling another man a fraud simply because you disagree with his perspective? Bow do you explain to a 5 year old that you are looking to your local sports team to help raise him?

Christ.

Carp said:

Haha...how do you explain Hardy to a 5 year old? WGAS...how did we explain Irvin when he was stabbing McIver in the neck?

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We live in such a pussified society now.

I've seen/heard commentators and analysts say during games "How do you explain this to a child?", as if what we just saw was an ISIS beheading or some shit.

When I watch a dirty play or something like that with my son, I just tell him that X player is a dirty player and lost his cool or that he's just a rotten person who was looking to intentionally harm someone.

What the hell else needs to be said?

It's just a football signing, not the Cuban Missile Crisis, for crying out loud.

Genghis Khan said:

Ugh. The hand wringing in the media over this is stupid. Beyond stupid.

Hey Mac, how do you explain to your 5 year old that you are judging a man without knowing all the facts? How do you explain to your 5 year old that you believe that any wrong doing a person may take part in should define and condemn him his entire life? How do you explain to your 5 year old that you are calling another man a fraud simply because you disagree with his perspective? Bow do you explain to a 5 year old that you are looking to your local sports team to help raise him?

Christ.

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Exactly.

My kids get their values and upbringing from what I teach and show them, not from some sports figure or happenings around a sports league. The impact that these instances have on children is vastly overrated and exaggerated. I mean, you know what a 5 year old is going to do after he sees Hardy get this contract? Forget about it as quickly as he learned about it and go play Minecraft or something because that's what 5 year olds do.

These pundits act as if these kids are going to have nightmares or become criminals just because a bad guy gets a big contract.

Get a grip.

Newt said:

Fuck you Dale Hansen.

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I am getting a little tired of people talking about Hardy like he is guilty. The man denies he did it and the case was dismissed. That means legally he isn't guilty and honestly the only witness that claims he did anything doesn't want to talk because she was just in it for the money. As though these idiots actually have any idea of what really happened.

ravidubey said:

The injury concerns me. He's going to get hit a lot harder in the pros.

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If you watch the play he got hurt on it looks pretty damn harmless. Kind of reminds me of Sean Lee.

Texas Ace said:

We live in such a pussified society now.

I've seen/heard commentators and analysts say during games "How do you explain this to a child?", as if what we just saw was an ISIS beheading or some shit.

When I watch a dirty play or something like that with my son, I just tell him that X player is a dirty player and lost his cool or that he's just a rotten person who was looking to intentionally harm someone.

What the hell else needs to be said?

It's just a football signing, not the Cuban Missile Crisis, for crying out loud.

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I'd probably tell my kid that in America we are innocent until proven guilty and that Hardy was never proven guilty.

Carp said:

Haha...how do you explain Hardy to a 5 year old? WGAS...how did we explain Irvin when he was stabbing McIver in the neck?

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Well to be fair, Schmitty was breaking down O-line play between diaper changes and trips to the sandbox.

How do you explain Ben Roethlisberger's sexual assault to "a five year old"? According to Engel, the Cowboys shouldn't have allowed Roethlisberger into the building when they played the Steelers in 2013.

"Character" is football character. Garrett, like any coach, wants players who practice hard, play harder, and don't crawl into a tank when it starts raining shit.

That said Hardy has anger issues and should get 6 games, though on a technicality from lack of evidence he may get less.

1 in 4 women in the US will suffer domestic abuse and most are young, ages 20-24. The intersection of that stat with the 1500 or so NFL players and ages of their wives/girlfriends translates into a lot of players Engel thinks should just be fired.

I guess rosters could be reduced from 53 to 45 to compensate.

How do you explain football to a five year old?

Texas Ace said:

Exactly.

My kids get their values and upbringing from what I teach and show them, not from some sports figure or happenings around a sports league. The impact that these instances have on children is vastly overrated and exaggerated. I mean, you know what a 5 year old is going to do after he sees Hardy get this contract? Forget about it as quickly as he learned about it and go play Minecraft or something because that's what 5 year olds do.

These pundits act as if these kids are going to have nightmares or become criminals just because a bad guy gets a big contract.

Get a grip.

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Pundits and commentators make their living doing this kind of thing. All you have to do is wait a little bit until something else develops elsewhere then they we start getting off on that. It's a process that will work itself out.