Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard whispers that Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr would inevitably have to restructure his contract. Those assumptions may have been a bit off, as the player’s agent, Ben Dogra, told Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram that his player would not be accepting a pay cut (Twitter link).
Carr’s $12.7MM cap hit in 2015 certainly doesn’t justify his production. The former fifth-round pick finished 2014 with 54 tackles and zero picks, the first time in his career that he failed to record a single interception. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t fond of his performance last season, ranking him 90th among 108 cornerback candidates.
In spite of the poor rating, Carr is still guaranteed the second-most money among cornerbacks in 2015 (behind Darrelle Revis). The team could reasonably move from the cornerback and his $8MM base salary following post-June 1st cuts, when they’d only be left with $4.7MM in dead money.
Previously, Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com suggested that Carr could be a cap casualty if he wasn’t willing to accept a pay cut. However, the organization may be forced to keep the 28-year-old while fellow cornerback Morris Claiborne recovers from an ACL tear.