The Tennessee Titans will likely make some cuts this offseason to create more cap space to work with, but restructuring contracts is another way for general manager Jon Robinson to give himself more wiggle room.
Tennessee has about $50 million in cap space for this offseason, but with a lot of moves to make in free agency, that isn’t as much as it seems.
Contracts can be restructured in a few ways:
- A player can simply take a pay cut.
- A player on a long-term deal can have their salary from the upcoming season converted into signing bonus money that is spread out to the later years of the contract, creating more cap space in the short term but bigger cap hits in the future.
With the NFL’s salary cap projected to see a significant increase in 2021 and beyond, a team like the Titans can better absorb a restructure with a player that creates a bigger cap hit down the road.
Negotiations are ongoing, but the NFL and NFLPA are projecting a salary cap of roughly $200 million per club for 2020. If new CBA is ratified, revenue would increase from expanded playoffs, which could cause the cap to rise somewhat. Bigger jumps expected in 2021 and beyond.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 28, 2020
Here are some players who could fit into either of those restructure categories.
Delanie Walker | TE
There’s no two ways about it: Delanie Walker is one of the top candidates to be cut this offseason.
The veteran tight end will be 36 when next season starts and after he saw two straight seasons end early due to injury, Tennessee might be willing to move on — and that’s especially true after the emergence of Jonnu Smith, and with Anthony Firkser already having been re-signed.
If the Titans want to hold onto Walker, they could approach him about taking a pay cut for 2020. Walker is set to make $8 million next season, so it would take a significant decrease in salary for him to remain in Nashville.
Chances are Walker will get cut instead, though.