DeMarcus Ware Open To Taking A Pay Cut?

Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas mentions that Cowboys DE DeMarcus Ware “indicated” that he’s open to taking a pay cut this offseason.

If so, this would be a big deal for the Cowboys given that they are projected to be over the 2014 salary cap by a staggering $25 million or so.

Ware has seen his productivity drop off a bit in comparison to previous years. Although, he has been more than a serviceable player, despite the fact that he’s been dealing with a few injuries.

“The whole season I had my right elbow. I don’t know what’s wrong with it,” Ware said. “I’ll get it checked out. This game I wrapped my left elbow up, I hyper-extended it in practice. I had a torn right quad for probably about six games, and then I got a herniated disk in my back. But I’ve been playing with that since 2010. It flared up on me a little bit.”

Ware, 31, has a cap figure close to $16 million for the 2014 season and a base salary of $12.75 million. He has been limited to just 11 games and has seen his sack totals decrease from 11 in 2012, to just six this season.

The Cowboys also have to figure out if they are going to try and keep unrestricted free agents DT Jason Hatcher and DE Anthony Spencer in the coming months.

Given Dallas’ cap situation, the idea was floated that Ware could be a cap casualty, but taking a pay cut would likely go a long way towards preventing that from happening next year.