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According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com the Miami Dolphins have released starting CB Richard Marshall. Marshall was set to count for over $5 million against the 2013 salary cap and Miami will save about $4 million in net cap room following his release. Miami should now have slight over $20 million in cap room which most likely is being allocated for carry over to the 2014 season where a number of starters are set to become free agents.
The release of Marshall illustrates the negatives for players in regards to the June 1 rule for acceleration. When August rolls around and teams get a full look at other players the cash aspect of a contract plays a major role in the decision making process. When you release a player after June 1 acceleration from future contract years is allocated to the following NFL season rather than the current league year. Unless a player has guaranteed salary in his contract a team will save his entire salary and in no manner compromise the teams cap.
When they know the player has little long term value to the club the decision becomes quite simple in August once they realize his replacement is on the roster. Cutting him in August or next March has the same dead money charge in 2014. If the player is close to equal with a lower cost player the team is better off saving the base salary for the current league year than playing him and cutting him the following season. In the next two weeks many veterans will likely fall victim to the same circumstances. Most will be offered substantial pay cuts to keep their positions, a difficult decision to make. .
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Jason is the founder of OTC and has been studying NFL contracts and the salary cap for over 15 years. Jason has co-authored two books about the NFL, Crunching Numbers and the Drafting Stage, which are widely circulated in the industry and hosts the OTC Podcast. Jason’s work has been featured in various publications including the Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network and more. OTC is widely considered the leading authority on contract matters in the NFL.