NFL notebook: Cowboys redo 5 contracts, save cap space
BY Associated Press
Friday, March 01, 2013
3/01/13 at 5:29 AM
The Dallas Cowboys have reworked the contracts of five starters, including DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten and Miles Austin, to save salary cap space.
Dallas, which was penalized $5 million off its cap in 2012 and 2013, has needed to scramble to free up space. By restructuring the deals of star linebacker Ware, tight end Witten, wide receiver Austin, cornerback Brandon Carr and center Ryan Cook, the Cowboys wiped out the $20 million they were projected to be over the cap this year.
The biggest savings will come in the Carr deal. Dallas signed Carr as a free agent last year, and Thursday's moves turn nearly all of the $14.3 million he was due in salary into a signing bonus. Carr will count $3.5 million against this year's cap.
Ware's salary is going down to $1 million for this season, and a $5 million bonus is being spread over the rest of the contract, saving $4 million.
The Cowboys could get further under the cap with a new contract for Tony Romo, who is entering the final year of his deal and counts $16.8 million against the cap this season.
Salary cap reportedly increases to $123 million: The NFL salary cap for the 2013 season will rise to $123 million from $120.6 million in 2012, an NFL Players Association official familiar with negotiations over the figure told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The official spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no formal announcement had been made.
The increase, which is larger than some in the NFL had anticipated, is a result of greater-than-expected revenues last season - primarily from NFL Properties - and a jump in projected league revenues, according to the official.
Female kicker set for combine tryout: Lauren Silberman is set to become the first woman to participate at an NFL combine.
The 28-year-old Silberman will kick Sunday at the New York Jets' training facility in Florham Park, N.J. She has never kicked anything more than a soccer ball in an organized game and she just started practicing long-range field goals.
She says she hopes to use the weekend as a learning experience and a way to promote more female involvement in the NFL.
Silberman will compete against more accomplished or polished college kickers, all hoping to prove they have the leg strength and accuracy worthy of earning an invitation to an NFL training camp.
