BACH
Superbowl, Homeboy!
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/0519cards0519.html
From the Republic. We been over this a million times, but notice:
AND releasing a player after June 1 would have split the $3.3M hit, not divided it into a 800,000 and 2,5M hit.
Cards cut ties with Shelton
Timing hits cap for $3.3M
Odeen Domingo
The Arizona Republic
May. 19, 2005 12:00 AM
The Cardinals cut offensive tackle L.J. Shelton on Wednesday, a surprising move because of its timing.
By releasing him Wednesday, it is believed that about $3.3 million will be counted against the Cardinals' cap space for this year, which is around $9 million. Had the team cut him after June 1, the 2005 cap hit would have been about $833,000, with the rest of the money ($2.5 million) going toward the 2006 salary cap.
But Rod Graves, Cardinals vice president of football operations, said the team has so much cap room, it didn't mind cutting Shelton before June 1. The team had been trying to trade Shelton before, on and even after the NFL draft - most notably to the Buffalo Bills for running back Travis Henry - but failed. advertisement
"We just felt like at this point it made no sense to hold him any longer," Graves said. "There are ramifications from a cap standpoint but we have (a lot of) cap room and we'd rather take that medicine now rather than push it to next year."
Shelton and the team have been on opposite ends for quite some time. Cardinals coach Dennis Green demoted Shelton from starting left tackle to backup last summer, just a half-year after Shelton signed a five-year extension worth between $20 million to $25 million.
Although he saw some starts in 2004, Shelton, a 1999 first-round pick, never became one of Green's guys.
The Cardinals gave Shelton permission to not report to any of this off-season's workouts. Shelton, who had four years remaining on his contract at $3 million a year, has been paid about $10 million from his contract extension.
Shelton, 29, said he doesn't hold ill will toward the team and hopes it doesn't hold any toward him. He said he believes the move gives him a head start in finding a new team over the players who will be cut after June 1.
"It's a credit to the Cardinals," Shelton said. "They could have held me to June 1. But they did this, in my opinion, to give me a head start on the second wave of free agency. It just shows how a classy organization they are and I'm thankful for that."
Eric Metz, an agent based in Phoenix who along with Colorado-based Vance Larimer represents Shelton, said he is pleased that the Cardinals gave them an opportunity to find Shelton a better situation. Both Shelton and Metz said other teams have been calling, although declined to say which teams and how many contacted them Wednesday.
"We've spoken to some other clubs. There's definitely some interest in him," Metz said. "It's definitely to his advantage that it happened now than two weeks from now. It gives him an extra two weeks to shop the market."
Little-used second-year tight end Lorenzo Diamond was also cut. Diamond recorded three receptions for 19 yards in 2004
From the Republic. We been over this a million times, but notice:
Whoever this new guy is - He doesn't understand the cap. $3.3M would have been correct if the Cards hadn't used exiting cap space to extent him - they did...By releasing him Wednesday, it is believed that about $3.3 million will be counted against the Cardinals' cap space for this year, which is around $9 million. Had the team cut him after June 1, the 2005 cap hit would have been about $833,000, with the rest of the money ($2.5 million) going toward the 2006 salary cap.
AND releasing a player after June 1 would have split the $3.3M hit, not divided it into a 800,000 and 2,5M hit.