Veteran players must hate the salary cap. Every time you hear about a cash-strapped team needing some wiggle room, it's the veteran players that pay the price. They get cut so the franchise can go out and spend money on someone else. Tough business.
That's the fate that possibly awaits Baltimore Ravens cornerback Lardarius Webb. Webb still has three years remaining on his deal, but will cost $12 million against the cap in 2015. No disrespect to Webb, but it's understandable that Baltimore may not want to fork over that kind of money for a guy who has missed 13 games over the last three seasons, especially when the Ravens ranked just 23rd in the NFL in 2104 in opposing passing yards per game (248.7).
So what will the team do?
"The Ravens restructured Webb's contract last August, and he's probably not opposed to converting some of his salary into a signing bonus again," Clifton Brown of CSNBayArea.com wrote. "Expect some give and take on both sides to result in Webb staying in Baltimore."
However, if the Ravens find a quality alternative in the offseason - say LSU cornerback Jalen Collins - they may be more apt to move on completely from Webb.
"It's reasonable to believe cornerback Jimmy Smith and safety Will hill will return as starters as long as Smith comes back healthy and Hill stays out of trouble," ESPN Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley wrote. "The biggest issue is cornerback Lardarius Webb, whose $12 million cap hit ranks third on the team. His injury history and mediocre play doesn't warrant an $8 million salary. The Ravens can try to get him to agree to a pay cut or release him ($2 million cap savings if all the dead money is absorbed in 2015 or $8 million in cap savings if designated as a June 1 release).
"The Ravens' decision will come down to whether they can get a cornerback who is as good as Webb and won't cost as much. Where the Ravens really need to upgrade is at strong safety and depth at cornerback."
The Ravens were able to survive the competitive AFC North and snag a playoff spot this past season. If they want to get back to the Super Bowl, however, they are going to have to upgrade their secondary. Whether that will require sacrificing Webb is still up in the air.
