The cost and savings of cutting some players

On Dec. 29 I shared with you a rundown of the Dolphins 2013 cap situation.. That post explained how the Dolphins have tons of cap room this year by showing you the cap number for every Dolphins player under contract plus some dead money and other machinations.

When all was said and done, we came to the conclusion the Dolphins could have as much as $46 million in cap space in 2013 if they carry over $5 million that went unused this year, which most teams do anyway. The updated number now is $46,066,759, again assuming the Dolphins carry over their space from this season. The number will vary but you can give or take $2 million to be safe.

It was a highly popular post but it also opened the flood gates to more questions on other cap issues, and the most frequently asked of those was, "What players are likely to get cut to save cap room?"

My answer is I do not know. Look, when I know, I tell you. When I know, I write it hard.

When I don't know, I tell you that also. I have no hard information which player, if any, the Dolphins might cut for cap purposes this year. But I can show you the candidates and the ramifications.

That means I can tell you the potential cap savings and dead money whacking certain players would create.

I'm not picking these names out of a hat. I'm telling you the guys that are even remote candidates for this exercise. Doesn't mean they will get cut. But obviously, the team studies this situation. Now, you can also:

Player                   Cap cost    Cap savings     Dead money

Karlos Dansby       $8.575M      $3.925M         $4.65M

Paul Soliai             $7.875M     $6.3M             $1.575M

Richard Marshall    $5.766M     $5.35M           $2.33M

Kevin Burnett       $5.7M         $3.2M              $2.5M

Richie Incognito    $5.38M       $4.3M              $1.08M

Dimitri Patterson  $4.6M          $4.6M             $0

Davone Bess          $3.43M        $2.68M           $750K

Dan Carpenter       $3.012M      $2.7M             $312,500

Michael Egnew      $652,239      $210,522        $441,717

Nolan Carroll        $622,939      $575,000         $47,939

Remember that dead money is a cost that remains on the team's books after a player to which the team was invested is cut or traded. The Dolphins, for exampled, don't have Vontae Davis on the roster anymore. But he's still costing them $1.1 million in dead money on their salary cap.

If cutting or trading a player leaves a lot of dead money on the books, the move is less likely.

Obviously the list above does not include every player under contact. But let's face it, every player should not be here because some simply do not make any sense whatever to consider for cutting or salary cuts.

Cameron Wake is not here, for example.

Even some of the players on the list above are a stretch to even look at. Let's face it, the Dolphins will not cut Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett and neither is going to take a paycut because they could find work elsewhere pretty quickly.

But some players on here should be wary of what's going to happen this offseason and even into training camp.

Patterson, for example, will never see $4.6 million in cap cost from the Dolphins next year. He played well in exactly one game before getting injured. That doesn't earn you that kind of money the following year. And the fact cutting his pay or simply whacking him would cost the team zero in dead money means this is glowing in neon to happen.

Richard Marshall should be worried, too. He's coming off back surgery. The club will probably take him to training camp as long as he heals as scheduled and shows that he can return to being a contributor in 2013. But if he doesn't show bigtime in training camp and the Dolphins have other options, Marshall should be looking around corners. In fact, he should be monitoring what Miami does in the draft in free agency at the cornerback spot because he's not guaranteed anything at this point. Yes, that would be a lot of dead money spent on him. But the savings might be worth it to the team.

Same with Dan Carpenter. He's in the final year of his contract. He is coming off a season in which he missed pressure kicks that might have won two games. And then he couldn't finish out the season.

The Dolphins have not brought a kicker to camp to compete with Carpenter in years. I believe they will do that next training camp. Just in case. 

And if Carpenter loses the battle, the club saves $2.7 million.

 

 

Comments

[oscar canosa]

Marco Rubio is a R,YG.

[Yesterday's Gone 4Ever!]

In Miami, everyone is known as mami and papi by the Cuban communities.

When in Miami, I here it so much, I begin to think that papi is my real first name. LOL...

[oscar canosa]

Ocasionalmente, a algunos papis le cogen el -ulo, aqui en Miami.

[Yesterday's Gone 4Ever!]

Oscar,

Im not sure that Marco Rubio could win even the hispanic vote. He's become too much of a divisive "republican pawn".

He may be able to win 50% of the hispanic vote, but, I think he would need 80% of the hispanic vote alone to win presidency. He would have a problem getting the "white southern redneck" vote too. Even though he's "republican".

He pretty much needs to take the same ropute as Obama to win. I dont think he gets much of the black vote either. So if he gets 50% of the hispanic vote, virtually none of the black vote(and I dont believe being cuban has anything to do with, just republican), and doesnt get an overwhelming amount of white southern redneck vote.

Rubio will have an extremely difficult time winning the white house.

[oscar canosa]

OK, that's it. I'm ready for some rough nosed Football, specialy Ravens vs NE.

[fin4life]

The next American President of a different ethnicity, YG, will be Marco Rubio,of Cuban descent.

oscar canosa | January 19, 2013 at 08:47 PM

Maybe, in the very least the charismatic figure the Republican Party has lacked for sometime and seems more open minded than some of that parties present leadership.

[oscar canosa]

Well, YG, you're being naive now. He/She wins who They want to win.

[Jason]

If you are talking about Republicans and Democrats, then you have been totally brainwashed and know nothing period.

The parties are illusions. The public has no representation whatsoever any more. We are moving to a world order and what is good for big business.

Those of you stuck on political parties need to do some reading out of the mainstream.

Anyone attached to either party is your enemy.

[Jason]

Anytime a Republican or Democrat gets elected, it's the public that are the losers. Pity they haven't figured that out yet.

That is why they dumb down the education system. They like us stupid.

[fin4life]

fin4

No need to struggle to find a comeback. Spain had zero influence on this country. They merely think they discovered it. Our history has been more defined by the British, Native Indians and a wide mix of Eastern and Western Europeans.

Sorry but your statement shows you didn't study history very well.

: Jason | January 19, 2013 at 08:49 PM

Your kidding me right? The statement of sharing European History that I expressed had ZERO to do with influencing the U.S. as much as an observation of having descended from the same Continent to the new World.

I KNOW my history more than you could possibly KNOW!

For Starters while not knowing the exact Yr. off the top of my head I can tell you that the original U.S. Boarder South East ended at the Georgia - Florida boarder. Due to Native American Indians attacking U.S. settlements in Georgia later crossing the boarder into Florida (Spanish Colony) President James Madison comissioned Gen. Anrew Jackson to cross over and catch these Indians in what was a Spanish colony attacking the Spanish at a Ft. in Pensacola in what was known as the Seminole wars.

You may be the one in need of a History lesson but far more in need of some reading comprehension classes if that was what you took by the intention of what I posted.

[oscar canosa]

Might or might not also be the case here, but one of the reasons for that big Crisis in Europe is that none of the Political Parties there has offered a viable solution to their problems be they Socialists, Conservatives, Communists or whatever. It seems that Parties are NOT the solution in these days of Globalization, an needs a more integrated approach.

[Jason]

fin4

Vote for your brudda Rubio. Wait 4 years. Then you will understand me. Maybe.

[fin4life]

Those of you stuck on political parties need to do some reading out of the mainstream.

Anyone attached to either party is your enemy.

Jason | January 19, 2013 at 09:10 PM

You truly are like one of those idiot announcers on Sunday's stating the obvious and if going to make this statement then very new to this blog given we've had that pow wow often over the years. If you'd like we could start by addressing how both parties seem to be in bed with the same lobbyist but I won't waste the energy with you.

[Jason]

fin4

Wasn't it you that broght up Rubio? Why? For what purpose? Maybe it was someone else.

Discussing these party candidates is less valuable that wiping your butt

[Jason]

Ok, someone else brought up Rubio.

[Jason]

Forgive me for not knowing the entire history of this blog. I read back a whole day and a half.

[Jason]

What I'd like to see is Belichek get to the SB and lose again, making him 3-3 and putting a dent in his fabricated genius.

[fin4life]

fin4

Vote for your brudda Rubio. Wait 4 years. Then you will understand me. Maybe.

Jason | January 19, 2013 at 09:22 PM

The passive rudderless approach of this ill prepared administration makes it a mute point and my brudda, huh? You really are a racist, I will tell you regardless the Countries in a heap Jason James or Jason Jim Bob or whatever the hell it is.

[fin4life]

fin4

Wasn't it you that broght up Rubio? Why? For what purpose? Maybe it was someone else.

Discussing these party candidates is less valuable that wiping your butt

Jason | January 19, 2013 at 09:29 PM

Well at least we can agree on one thing, see the beauty of this Country that you claim more yours than mine by some miss-guided belief system probably taught to you since before you could speak.

[Jason]

Fin4 can't get beyond the Cuban thing. He took it personal. There is conflict for a reason, and I sighted some of them. A mature person would look at it for the reality that it is. An immature person will interpret it as a personal or prejudice attack and entirely miss the point.

[Jason]

There are only people. People are far too worried, concerned and obsessed with nationality and can't take a step further to see why there are conflicts.

[Jason]

Maybe someone can steer this thing back to football?

[ALoco]

TO BE
OR
NOT
TO
BE.........

FACTS;;;;;

THE USA WILL NEVER ELECT A CUBAN MAN FOR PRESIDENT ,NEVER.

[Jason]

i am sick of cubans in general

[PANTHERS GOAL]

HOW BOUT OUR PANTHERS? PLAYOFF BOUND!!!!

[Monte]

Ryan vs Brady would be a great SB matchup of the top 2 QB's.

[Monte]

Of course Harbaugh vs Harbaugh would be interesting also.

[mike]

I dont think any republican has a chance at the presidency any time in the foreseeable future. The party has gone off the deep end and is in shambles.

[Scotty]

BAD NEWS FOR THE MIAMI DOLPHINS:

IRESCUM IS STILL WITH THE TEAM.

[Roscoe]

Them Repubs aligned themselves with the TEA PARTY!

How stupid was that? The country doesn't want no conservative puritan BS family value government and besides most of those guys are secretely top customers of the escort services!

McCain
Pailin
Romney and his side kick

Ship of fools

[fin4life]

i am sick of cubans in general

Jason | January 19, 2013 at 10:34 PM

I NEVER took anything as a personal assault I posted an observation about the fact Miami doesn't have the largest Latin or minority population in the U.S. and you came back with your bigoted tirade about being disgusted and offended with people who spoke different languages or had different customs than your own while attempting to give some sort of lesson in whose more entitled to have the right to claim America their Nation based on some sort of seniority scale and in the process revealed to anybody who was following the debate your belief system to which your entitled but you felt in your "ENTITLEMENT" the need to offend.

What began as a simple observation about the racial demographics of certain U.S. Cities on my part was turned into something altogether different by you. I simply defend my position as being as American as anybody and you still want to argue your point by now making a disparaging statement about a culture and people you probably know nothing about (your ignorance shows through) By reading your statements I have an idea or observation.

Miami unless your going into the Gator infested Everglades has no open backwoods area for you and your pals with your bed sheets or burning crosses you may need to take that act into the backwoods of the deep South somewhere.

I on the other hand should have known better it takes a certain constitution to live with an Argentinean having been there many times nothing but closet Fascist who helped harbor Nazi war criminals given their beliefs that there better than the rest of the People on their Continent but alas like PM Margaret Thatcher said on the onset of the Falkland War(Guerra de las Malvinas)"We have nothing to fear if they fight anything like they're Italian Irish descendants unless we run into the German in them" which of course they didn't.

[Jason]

hey Fin4

Seriously, that post at 10:34 PM was someone faking me. Once I saw that I realized this was kiddie town and stopped posting.

But now you contradict yourself completely and slander the Argentines. I had thought you were above that. I thought you learned as I have that you can not judge the people of a country by their governement.

This was my final post ever. Let the kiddies use my name and have fun now.

[..]

hey fin4life, dont be so thin skinned.

[fin4life]

Jason,

You know something your right sometimes I do let the stupidity on here lure me into something petty not my intention and apologize.

[nickybarto]

Wallace will test the market and won't get anything near what he thinks he should get.

[Roger Ovuranout]

These comments are funny, and must be viewed Ironically, because as long as IRELAND is here, the draft & FA are doomed.

[oscar canosa]

HooH! I believe Jason won't be around anymore.

[oscar canosa]

There is a huge amount of experimentation left before we reach Internet 103. For instance you can see some "Territoliarity" developing around Blogs. Fascinating stuff, at least for me.

[oscar canosa]

Territoriality?

[oscar canosa]

You should always check what you write on Internet. Besides the learning, it's your whole Self exposed to the Collective and you don't want to look too bad, do you?

[oscar canosa]

The problem with GMs is that they cannot be evaluated fully until after their first 4 Drafts. Who knows about Ireland? We have no choice but to wait a couple of years to pass judgment on how good or bad a GM he is.

[oscar canosa]

I hope Ireland makes it, for our sake as Dolfans.

[oscar canosa]

Anything you younguns have done or are doing, we have done before.

[Nj]

Oscar do you ever sleep , you are really something ,i don't know what but you are something

[Cobra]

fin4life I would like to meet you, just to show you some discipline. You messed with Jason and you are the disease and I am the cure......

[dusty bottoms]

cobra one strange cat

[oscar canosa]

Like trying to sukkk the head of your dikk.

[billcale]

Oscar@3:46, your short statement expresses the wishes of all Dolphin fans. 2013 could be a defining year for Jeff Ireland although there is reason to believe he could survive a less than successful season and still be in Miami for season 2014.

However, changes Dolphin fans have seen this year should give them hope. Gone are the days when QB play was thought to be an adjunct to a great running game. Gone are the days of playing field position football. Gone are the days of prima donna players and salary cap busters. Gone are the days of egocentric coaches looking to reinvent the game or bolster their fame.

[bill coal]

billcale

Gone are none of those days.

AP didn't need a QB
Field position is still huge
You can't name a prima donna in todays game? I can.
Harbaugh, Carroll, Belichek ring a bell?

[dusty bottoms]

ap needs a qb to actually win anything

[dusty bottoms]

go ravens! san fran wins 45-17, pats win 34-31

[billcale]

Spending large sums in FA isn't good for teams with many needs. It generally reduces the chances for signing other players in FA; complicates the salary cap for future years; and seldom produces the anticipated result. It often stinks of desperation, a last stab at finding the right piece.

Instead, I favor the stated preference of Jeff Ireland and Joe Philbin of searching for value players... or acorn hunting, if you prefer. Teams looking for several pieces can often find them, or upgrades to existing players, in FA using this technique.

For instance, this year the Steelers have cap problems. Several acorns may drop from the Pittsburgh tree including reserves Keenan Lewis (CB) and Ramon Foster (G). While both would like to stay with Pitt, they would also like to be rewarded with pay raises and more playing time. Both are young and made around $1.2M in 2012. It would seem that they would each fill a big hole for the Dolphins in 2013.

[Gilbert]

bill cale

@9:13 you make a bunch of statements contrary to reality.

@10:01 you make a post stating the utter obvious.

Let me try it:

1. The sun rises in the west
2. High tide normally follows low tide

[Gilbert]

People try so hard to sound insightful that they forget they are not talking to 10 year olds and are really just spouting common knowledge.

The secret to winning is to play solid defense, not give up the big play, have a dynamic, high scoring offense that knows how to protect the ball, and solid special teams play. That is what a good team needs to achieve to have the best shot at winning consistently.

[Tony Nathan]

If Ireland isnt fired within the next month I'm afraid he will be doing another draft for us. And thats just pathetic.

[Harmel]

billcale,

I dont think we have to worry about that cheap SOB Ross spending large sums of money. He'd rather keep the payroll low and pocket more money. He wont even pay to upgrade his stadium when the Dolphins already rent the land the stadium is on for a dollar a year! Winning is an afterthought with Ross......money, celebrities, logo, and the stadium take precedence.

[Donnie Danker]

What thrill do people get from tiredly bashing Ireland on the blog?

My thrill list is far more interesting.

[billcale]

Other well rated acorns functioning mostly as reserves in 2012 that could interest the Dolphins this year could be:
Bills UFA Chad Rinehart G 27y/o 6'5" 321 $1.2M in 2012
Jets UFA Matt Slauson G 26y/o 6'5" 315 $1.0M in 2012
Jets RFA Austin Howard LT 25y/o 6'7" 325 $540K in 2012
Rams UFA Barry Richardson RT 27y/o 6'6" 319 $1.0M in 2012

While Howard is an RFA, he was an undrafted free agent and so compensation may not be a big issue. The Jets, plagued by cap problems, will try to retain him for as little as possible.

[Panthers Goal]

How about our Panthers? VERY IMPRESSIVE last night. I think there is no doubt we're going to the playoffs AGAIN.

[GIlbert]

Another approach would be to find either through draft or FA some players that could be, either better or with potential to better provided that their slot in the draft is not higher than their worth or their cost in FA is reasonable enough to not jeapordize other possiblities for other players that fit the same criteria that we are looiking for and hoping to find.