Titans target six big names to beat cap
By JIM WYATT
Staff Writer
After weeks of hand wringing and number crunching, the Titans have decided to repair their salary cap dilemma by releasing some of the team's best and most popular players.
Barring last-minute changes, wide receiver Derrick Mason, cornerback Samari Rolle and defensive tackle Kevin Carter will be cut. Tackle Fred Miller, fullback Robert Holcombe and kicker Joe Nedney are expected to be cut as well.
The official announcement could come as early as tomorrow.
The Titans also have decided not to exercise their options on the contracts of tight end Shad Meier and wide receiver Eddie Berlin, making both players unrestricted free agents.
The number of releases, amount of money involved and the star power of the players make it the most dramatic round of cuts since the team moved to Tennessee in 1997.
The moves are part of the team's efforts to get below the NFL's salary cap by the league's March 2 deadline. The Titans entered the offseason $27 million over the cap, easily the highest figure in the league.
Over the past several weeks no attempts have been made to redo the contracts of the players scheduled to be cut, while several other players are having their contracts restructured.
Titans owner Bud Adams recently approved the plan to get under the salary cap after multiple discussions with team officials.
Titans General Manager Floyd Reese has hinted since the end of the season that a wave of painful cuts may be required to fix the team's salary cap problems, while Coach Jeff Fisher was more reluctant publicly to part ways with some of the veterans in the wake of a 5-11 season.
But barring any aggressive, last-minute deal-making by the players and their agents, the cuts will be made.
With the cuts, and by the time they complete restructured contracts for at least a half-dozen more players, the Titans will have enough money to sign some — but not all — of their restricted free agents and stay under the cap.
That group includes safety Lamont Thompson, center Justin Hartwig, linebackers Brad Kassell and Rocky Calmus, and defensive end Carlos Hall.
The decision to release Rolle, drafted by the team in 1998 and considered one of the NFL's top cover corners, was especially difficult for Titans officials.
The release has nothing to do with Rolle's arrest on domestic assault charges last week and everything to do with his $9.81 million salary cap figure for 2005. Rolle, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2000, is scheduled to make a base salary of $5.5 million and a roster bonus of $500,000 this year.
Mason also will be hard to replace. He's the first player in Oilers/Titans history to record four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, which included a career-high 96 receptions for 1,168 yards and seven touchdowns in 2004.
But Mason is scheduled to make $4.7 million this year between base salary ($3.2 million) and roster bonus ($1.5 million). The Oilers drafted Mason in 1997.
Carter, a 10-year veteran signed by the Titans in 2001, will be missed on and off the field.
He played at both tackle and end the past few seasons and has become one of the team's most visible leaders. Last season, he was selected the Titans Community Man of the Year for his charitable work in the area.
Carter's salary cap figure of $13.97 million, which includes a $6.75 million base salary for '05, is the biggest on the team.
Miller, a nine-year veteran, has started at right tackle the last five seasons, but his salary cap number of $9.32 million is clearly too much for the team to handle.
There's a chance the Titans will try to re-sign Nedney, who has missed the last two seasons with injuries, and let him compete for the job against another kicker in training camp.
But Nedney's current contract calls for him to earn a $1.4 million base salary, and the Titans aren't willing to pay it. Already this offseason, the team has worked out six kickers and could sign one of them.
For now, it appears veteran safety Lance Schulters will survive the cuts, but his roster spot could be in jeopardy in June because of his high salary cap figure.
NFL teams can release players after June 1 and soften the blow to the salary cap by spreading the remaining charge over two seasons.
A salary cap figure is not necessarily a player's base salary. It's an accounting device that includes salary and various bonuses. Teams can still be charged for a player against the salary cap even after he's no longer with the team.
The Titans continue to work on restructured contracts for quarterback Steve McNair, tackle Brad Hopkins and guard Zach Piller, and are expected to re-work the contracts of linebacker Keith Bulluck, guard Benji Olson and possibly others.
The agents for each of those players have indicated they'd had some contact with the team recently.
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