Tamba Hali: How Significant Is Chiefs LB’s Reported Pay Cut?
By Brett Gering
I don’t know if there’s a hall of fame for saints (outside of Louisiana), but if there is, Tamba Hali should have his own room.
Holidays should become “Halidays.”
Prince should give him his symbol.
ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports that the perennial Pro Bowler has agreed to rework his contract.
#Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali has agreed to restructure his contract, according to a league source.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 9, 2015
As of now, the terms haven’t been disclosed, so there’s no way to gauge the extent of anything. That said, if the Jeremy Maclin news holds true on Tuesday, Hali’s pay cut had to be pretty significant.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Jeff McLane, the Eagles previously offered Maclin $9 million per season.
Jeremy Maclin wanted around $11 mil a year. #Eagles got to $9 mil during season. He won't get to $11 in free agency w/ Randall Cobb ahead.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) March 8, 2015
As McLane alluded to, Randall Cobb ultimately set the market, re-signing with Green Bay for $10 million per.
Obviously, none of us know the details, but it sounds like Maclin’s deal will be north of $9 million per year.
With Justin Houston’s tender included, Over the Cap (OTC) projects that the Kansas City Chiefs are $2.3 million-plus over the ceiling, and that doesn’t include any of the recent deals whose details remain private (Maclin’s, Josh Mauga’s, Junior Hemingway’s, etc.).
Mauga’s contract is sure to add a million or two to the deficit, but the more obscure signings from this weekend shouldn’t have a significant impact on Kansas City’s cap space.
If Maclin’s cap hit is, say, $9.5 million next year, that puts OTC’s aforementioned estimate at minus $11.8 million. Mauga’s contract, which is reportedly worth $8 million over three years, is probably back-loaded and bonus-laden, but let’s say his 2015 cap hit is $1.5 million.
Kansas City’s projected deficit—again, excluding the lesser deals from this past weekend—would then climb to $13.3 million.
Now, there are a number of ways that Dorsey can clear space. (And for the record, most of the headlines will claim that Hali restructured, but for all intents and purposes, a contract needs multiple years in order to prorate the signing bonus. In all likelihood, Hali took a pay cut, which is technically a renegotiation.)
@caplannfl Tamba Hali is in a contract year. It's a pay cut unless given an extension or voidable years added for bonus proration purposes.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) March 9, 2015
Dorsey could restructure Alex Smith’s contract, renegotiate Eric Berry’s and/or do any number of things (cut, renegotiate, etc.) with Dwayne Bowe.
Furthermore, a number of potential releases could offer breathing room. For example, cutting Chase Daniel and Mike DeVito would spawn $7.8 million.
Regardless, though, the Chiefs couldn’t have, by the looks of it, purportedly signed Maclin if one of their stars hadn’t lived up to his word.
But in Hali’s case, was there ever any doubt?
Contract information provided by Over the Cap.
Next: Report: Chiefs Will Sign Jeremy Maclin On Tuesday