Tennessee Titans: Kamerion Wimbley, Craig Stevens Restructure Deals
September 30, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Tennessee Titans tight end Craig Stevens (88) makes a reception during the fourth quarter as Houston Texans strong safety Glover Quin (29) defends at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Money-saving measures continue for the Tennessee Titans. After saving $6 million in cap space with the release of Chris Johnson, the Tennessee Titans have reached more cap-friendly deals after restructuring with outside linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and tight end Craig Stevens.
According to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean (full article here), here are the base salaries for Wimbley:
"His restructured three-year contract with the team includes base salaries of $2.25 million for 2014, $1.85 million for 2015 and $2.35 million for 2016. Wimbley had been scheduled to earn base salaries of $6 million, $6.5 million and $7 million over the next three seasons."
As for Stevens:
"Tight end Craig Stevens re-did his deal, too, and is now scheduled to make $1.6 million in 2014. He had been scheduled to make $3.4 million. As part of his new deal, Stevens received $500,000 in guaranteed money for 2014. Stevens is still scheduled to earn $3.25 million in the final year of his contract."
It appears as though the team may offer extension/s to player/s who are approaching the end of their contracts. Apparently, the new coaching staff may not need to see any first-hand action of how some of these players will fit into the new schemes and philosophies. One player whose contract expires next season: Jurrell Casey.
The Titans are setting themselves up with a nice future cap situation. It also helps protect them of any future scenario where Jake Locker has a career-best season and demands a huge contract. They’ll have more money to give him. Don’t laugh—it took Joe Flacco a few playoff games to make himself worth approximately $100 million.
Retaining Wimbley and Stevens means the team keeps depth players who are familiar with the organization. Wimbley has experience as an outside pass-rusher in a 3-4 defense. Stevens has always been respected for his in-line blocking talents as a No. 2 tight end. Both players were scheduled to make much more than they would’ve made had they been released.