Antrel Rolle will likely be cut after 2013 draft

There is a high likelihood the New York Giants will cut Antrel Rolle after the 2013 draft if they can find a replacement in the draft. Now before the backlash comes in about how dumb a move that would be; you have to look at the facts.

Rolle is carrying a 9,250,000 cap number for 2013 to 2014. He will be one of the highest paid safeties in the NFL that will hit 31 years old in December.

The Giants also have players that are younger that will get pay days soon. Hakeem Nicks’ contract is coming up and Victor Cruz is actively in contract extension talks now. Cruz and Nicks are not going to come cheap.

However the number one reason that is the reason it will come after the draft, is because the rookie salary cap makes it cheaper to draft similar in talent safeties for much less.

According to overthecap.com estimates, the 19th overall pick will hit the Giants’ salary cap by 1,517,436 in 2013.

Which would you rather have? A declining player in Rolle for a cap hit of 9,250,000 or a solid first round safety for 1,517,436 in 2013?

If the Giants drafted a second round safety in the 2013 draft, it would cost the Giants 732,855 against the cap in 2013. And the cap hit declines as the round decreases.

The first round, second round and even third round safeties in this year’s draft are some of the most talented crop of safeties to come out in a long-time. And you can read more about this year’s crop on this link here.

Now Antrel Rolle would only save the Giants 5,250,000 in salary cap space if he was released in 2013. However that is enough money to sign all rookies that have an estimated cap hit in 2013 of 5,031,061.

Releasing one player will give the Giants enough money sign eight players. You may believe Rolle is a great player, but by these standards the new CBA has put into place has Rolle extremely overpaid.

The only scenario I see in keeping Rolle on the team is if he restructures his contract to take less money, and I doubt any player would do that. Rolle will never see 9,250,000 dollars a year again, because of the new CBA rules. So it would be better for him to take the dead money and go to another team.

The time of the mega-dollar contracts for above average safeties is over. I believe the Giants will come to realization after they wrap up drafting a solid safety in the draft to replace Rolle with, and use the rest of the cap space to sign Cruz and Nicks down the line.


(yardbarker.com)