Cowboys Could Renegotiate or Cut Miles Austin, Doug Free, Jay Ratliff

The Dallas Cowboys could be looking to renegotiate the contracts of WR Miles Austin, OT Doug Free and NT Jay Ratliff or possibly even release them in the coming months, according to the team’s website.

Austin is under contract for $6.732 million next season, but they would be able to free up $5 million in cap space by releasing him. The article points out that Austin’s overall production has tailed off in recent years, so there is at least some question as to whether or not he will be able to return to his previous form.

As for Ratliff, he’ll be 32 next year and has already seen a decline in his play, which is quite concerning given that defensive tackles do not age well. He has a $5 million base salary next season, but counts $7 million against the team’s cap.

Free has been a huge bust since signing his four year, $32 million contract back in 2011. Free’s cap number is a staggering $11.2 million, so it seems as though there’s a pretty decent chance that he’ll be released at some point in the near future.

Dallas owes a combined $26.5 million to the three players next season and they could look for other, more cost-efficient options at each position.