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CUTS COMING-Harrington, Smoot, Johnson
In the days ahead, look for teams to avoid paying certain players roster bonuses due in early March while trying to create more salary cap space.
Some of the players expected to be released in the coming week include Dolphins quarterback Joey Harrington -- who is due a $1 million dollar roster bonus -- and Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot and quarterback Brad Johnson.
Smoot is due a $2 million roster bonus. Should the Vikings cut him before paying him the bonus, they would save $400,000 in salary cap space and nearly $5 million in cash.
So tack Smoot on to the list of cornerbacks who will be free to sign with another team.
Travis Henry
INDIANAPOLIS – Running back Travis Henry could join the free agent pool this offseason after talks between Tennessee Titans management and agent Hadley Engelhard hit a snag while renegotiating Henry's contract.
Henry is due to receive an $8.5 million roster bonus March 5. Henry, who led Tennessee with 1,211 yards on 270 carries last season, would become a free agent if the Titans do not to pay the bonus. Engelhard was asked Sunday if he expected Tennessee to pay the roster bonus.
"No," Engelhard said without elaborating.
Meanwhile, Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said he and Engelhard had talked about restructuring the deal.
"We want to keep Travis with the team. We want him back," Reinfeldt said. "He's from that area and we think he'd like to stay there, so we'll keep working on it."
That said, if Henry reaches free agency, he could become one of the more popular players available. Free agency starts Friday, but the pickings at running back are relatively thin.
Green Bay's Ahman Green and Indianapolis' Dominic Rhodes are expected to test the market. However, Green, 30, has at least 259 carries and more than 1,000 yards rushing in six of the past seven seasons and played in only five games in 2005 because of a knee injury.
Rhodes played effectively last season with the Colts, starting every game of the regular season before being displaced by rookie Joseph Addai in the playoffs. Most NFL personnel people consider Rhodes to be a complementary player, not a top-end starter.
By comparison, Henry is 28 and played well last season after two years of little work. In 2004 and 2005, Henry had fewer than 100 carries each season.
Other running backs could become available, such as Baltimore's Jamal Lewis and Buffalo's Willis McGahee, who has asked to be traded. But with the increase in the salary cap, Henry could be a popular commodity in free agency.
Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry have contract issues, and if they both wind up on the street by the end of the week, that will increase the free-agent pool.
In the days ahead, look for teams to avoid paying certain players roster bonuses due in early March while trying to create more salary cap space.
Some of the players expected to be released in the coming week include Dolphins quarterback Joey Harrington -- who is due a $1 million dollar roster bonus -- and Vikings cornerback Fred Smoot and quarterback Brad Johnson.
Smoot is due a $2 million roster bonus. Should the Vikings cut him before paying him the bonus, they would save $400,000 in salary cap space and nearly $5 million in cash.
So tack Smoot on to the list of cornerbacks who will be free to sign with another team.
Travis Henry
INDIANAPOLIS – Running back Travis Henry could join the free agent pool this offseason after talks between Tennessee Titans management and agent Hadley Engelhard hit a snag while renegotiating Henry's contract.
Henry is due to receive an $8.5 million roster bonus March 5. Henry, who led Tennessee with 1,211 yards on 270 carries last season, would become a free agent if the Titans do not to pay the bonus. Engelhard was asked Sunday if he expected Tennessee to pay the roster bonus.
"No," Engelhard said without elaborating.
Meanwhile, Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said he and Engelhard had talked about restructuring the deal.
"We want to keep Travis with the team. We want him back," Reinfeldt said. "He's from that area and we think he'd like to stay there, so we'll keep working on it."
That said, if Henry reaches free agency, he could become one of the more popular players available. Free agency starts Friday, but the pickings at running back are relatively thin.
Green Bay's Ahman Green and Indianapolis' Dominic Rhodes are expected to test the market. However, Green, 30, has at least 259 carries and more than 1,000 yards rushing in six of the past seven seasons and played in only five games in 2005 because of a knee injury.
Rhodes played effectively last season with the Colts, starting every game of the regular season before being displaced by rookie Joseph Addai in the playoffs. Most NFL personnel people consider Rhodes to be a complementary player, not a top-end starter.
By comparison, Henry is 28 and played well last season after two years of little work. In 2004 and 2005, Henry had fewer than 100 carries each season.
Other running backs could become available, such as Baltimore's Jamal Lewis and Buffalo's Willis McGahee, who has asked to be traded. But with the increase in the salary cap, Henry could be a popular commodity in free agency.
Jamal Lewis
Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry have contract issues, and if they both wind up on the street by the end of the week, that will increase the free-agent pool.
