The Dallas Cowboys have made a number of changes under owner Jerry Jones this offseason after missing the playoffs and the team has continued on that same track, as a number of players have reworked their contracts to help with the salary cap, including Jason Witten, Miles Austin and Brandon Carr.
According to ESPN.com, the three players, along with DeMarcus Ware and two other players have restructured their contracts to help the Cowboys with the salary cap. The team announced the moves of the three players on Thursday, with center Ryan Cook and guard Nate Livings also reworking their contracts.
Sources told ESPN that Witten's contract was converted a total of $4.56 million of the tight end's $5.5 million 2013 base salary into a signing bonus to take money off the cap. Brandon Carr, who signed a big free agent contract with the team last year, went from $14.3 million 2013 base salary to a base salary of $715,000 with $13.5 million being changed to a signing bonus.
On Wednesday the team did the same with Ware, who helped save $4 million in space for the Cowboys. The report also says that the team saved $740,000 against the cap with Livings' restructuring. The details on Austin's deal were not released.
The Cowboys have been planning on doing it with other players as well, including r Jay Ratliff and Orlando Scandrick, to get the team under the cap by the March 12 deadline. The team is expected to be over the cap and they are planning to resign Tony Romo to a contract extension, meaning they need some flexibility.
Dallas can now possibly be a player in the free agent market when the signing period starts and also have more room to get Romo signed, something they would like to do before he becomes a free agent.
The team also signed veteran long-snapper L.P. LaDouceur to a five-year deal, agent Gil Scott said Thursday.
"They wanted him, and he wanted to be there," Scott said. "It's all good from that standpoint. You always wonder if you can get more in free agency. Maybe? Maybe not. When you've played in one place and want to remain a Cowboy for your career, that transcends everything else."
The Cowboys have undergone a number of changes since missing out on the playoffs again after losing the final game of the season to the Redskins. The team fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and brought in Monte Kiffin and also brought in Derek Dooley to work with the wide receivers.
