Big name players learning harsh reality of NFL
The NFL is a tough business. Just ask Julius Peppers. Or Darrelle Revis. Or DeMarcus Ware. Each of these players was released by their respective teams after free agency began March 11, and learned that in the eyes of their teams, they are not worth the amount of money they are scheduled to be paid. https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/443609162942279680 Some of these moves are justified. For the Chicago Bears, releasing Peppers was a necessary move, as the team is trying to get younger on the defensive end. Peppers is 34 and not getting any younger. Though he is a very durable player (hasn’t missed a game in four years with the Bears), his production has declined. He had just 7.5 sacks in 2013, his lowest mark since the 2007 season. https://twitter.com/djdurkin/status/443536233134698496 Peppers signed a six-year, $91 million deal with the Bears in 2010 after parting ways with the Carolina Panthers, but he is no longer worth this much money. His salary cap hit would have been $18.1 million in 2014, an amount that a cap-strapped team like the Bears couldn’t afford to pay. Look no further than Dallas to find another perfect example of this scenario. Cowboys star defensive end DeMarcus Ware would have counted $16 million against the cap in 2014, so the team released him to save $7.4 million in cap space next season. Ware is one of the most dominant defensive players in Cowboys history, but when it comes to money, NFL teams show no mercy. How about Darrelle Revis?
