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June 1 is here, and so is Brandon Carr
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys could have designated Brandon Carr a June 1 cut at any point in the offseason, but they didn't.
Now that it is June 1, don't look for the Cowboys to make a move with their cornerback, either.
Much has been written and said about Carr's $12.717 million salary-cap figure and $8 million base salary in 2015. It's too high for a cornerback coming off a season in which he didn't intercept a pass and did not play to expectations until the final month.
But the Cowboys don't need to do anything with Carr's contract.
That doesn't mean they wouldn't like to do something with it, but the Cowboys don't need the salary-cap space for any specific reason. It's always good to have cap space in case of emergencies, just like it's always good to find an extra $20 in a pair of pants you haven't worn in a while.
The Cowboys made sure they had enough salary-cap room for the season when they fully restructured Tony Romo's contract. They gained about $12.8 million in room to help withstand the weekly roster bonuses on the deals for Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain, sign the draft class and leave them with a little cushion for later in the year, if necessary.
Had the Cowboys been in a serious cap crunch, maybe they would have been more aggressive in dealing with Carr's contract, but they haven't. They had a brief meeting with Brandon Carr's agent, Ben Dogra, at the NFL scouting combine. They've spoken occasionally since.
Whenever Carr has spoken, he has been asked about his contract.
“You talk to me more about it than they do,” Carr joked.
If the Cowboys part ways with Carr, they save $8 million against the cap this year but will carry $7.4 million in dead money into 2016. A few weeks ago, I mentioned the idea of the Cowboys giving Carr an extension with a $6 million-a-year average, like the one the Philadelphia Eagles gave to Cary Williams and in the neighborhood of what some other corners received in free agency.
That might be a little difficult to do, considering the extension the Cowboys gave to their best corner, Orlando Scandrick, two weeks ago is worth less than $4 million annually.
The Cowboys need Carr more than people realize. They are not better defensively without him because they don't know what they have in rookie Byron Jones, and they don't know when or if they can count on Morris Claiborne.
A trio of Scandrick, Carr and Jones is better than a trio of Scandrick, Jones, a recovering Claiborne/developing Tyler Patmon/uncertain Corey White.
So it's now June 1, and Carr is a Cowboy.
That's something not very many people (hand raised) thought would be the case at the start of the offseason.
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys could have designated Brandon Carr a June 1 cut at any point in the offseason, but they didn't.
Now that it is June 1, don't look for the Cowboys to make a move with their cornerback, either.
Much has been written and said about Carr's $12.717 million salary-cap figure and $8 million base salary in 2015. It's too high for a cornerback coming off a season in which he didn't intercept a pass and did not play to expectations until the final month.
But the Cowboys don't need to do anything with Carr's contract.
That doesn't mean they wouldn't like to do something with it, but the Cowboys don't need the salary-cap space for any specific reason. It's always good to have cap space in case of emergencies, just like it's always good to find an extra $20 in a pair of pants you haven't worn in a while.
The Cowboys made sure they had enough salary-cap room for the season when they fully restructured Tony Romo's contract. They gained about $12.8 million in room to help withstand the weekly roster bonuses on the deals for Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain, sign the draft class and leave them with a little cushion for later in the year, if necessary.
Had the Cowboys been in a serious cap crunch, maybe they would have been more aggressive in dealing with Carr's contract, but they haven't. They had a brief meeting with Brandon Carr's agent, Ben Dogra, at the NFL scouting combine. They've spoken occasionally since.
Whenever Carr has spoken, he has been asked about his contract.
“You talk to me more about it than they do,” Carr joked.
If the Cowboys part ways with Carr, they save $8 million against the cap this year but will carry $7.4 million in dead money into 2016. A few weeks ago, I mentioned the idea of the Cowboys giving Carr an extension with a $6 million-a-year average, like the one the Philadelphia Eagles gave to Cary Williams and in the neighborhood of what some other corners received in free agency.
That might be a little difficult to do, considering the extension the Cowboys gave to their best corner, Orlando Scandrick, two weeks ago is worth less than $4 million annually.
The Cowboys need Carr more than people realize. They are not better defensively without him because they don't know what they have in rookie Byron Jones, and they don't know when or if they can count on Morris Claiborne.
A trio of Scandrick, Carr and Jones is better than a trio of Scandrick, Jones, a recovering Claiborne/developing Tyler Patmon/uncertain Corey White.
So it's now June 1, and Carr is a Cowboy.
That's something not very many people (hand raised) thought would be the case at the start of the offseason.
