Cap cost: Six signings cost $11.16 million

March, 16, 2012
3/16/12
3:29
PM CT
IRVING, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys have deals with seven free agents, but their first six signings will account for $11.16 million in salary-cap space in 2012.

Brandon Carr has the highest number at $3.2 million as part of his six-year, $60 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus. The final year of Carr’s contract can void, so the Cowboys will be able to turn Carr’s 2013 base salary of $14.3 million into signing bonus and prorate that through 2017.

Linebacker Dan Connor will count $2.15 against the cap, followed by quarterback Kyle Orton ($1.9 million), guard/center Mackenzy Bernadeau ($1.81 million), safety Brodney Pool ($1.2 million) and fullback Lawrence Vickers ($900,000).

The breakdown of Nate Livings' five-year contract is not yet known, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported it pays him $19 million over five years with $6.2 million guaranteed.

Before free agency started, the Cowboys cleared about $17 million in salary-cap space by restructuring the contracts of cornerback Orlando Scandrick, tackle Doug Free and wide receiver Dez Bryant. They also released cornerback Terence Newman and kicker David Buehler.

Those moves helped offset a $10 million hit against the Cowboys’ cap handed down by the NFL on Monday. The league took away $5 million from the Cowboys this year and will take away another $5 million in 2013 for the deal wide receiver Miles Austin signed in 2010, which was an uncapped year.
Todd Archer joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2010. He's covered the NFL since 1997 and the Cowboys since 2003. He covered the Bengals and Dolphins before arriving in Dallas. A Massachusetts native, Archer lives in the Dallas area with his wife and two children.

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