Breaking down Bud Dupree's contract and the Titans difficult decision
The Tennessee Titans will have a difficult decision to make this offseason when it comes to outside linebacker Bud Dupree and the remaining money on his contract. Dupree carries a cap hit of $20.2 million in 2023, and there is a high likelihood that he will be cut by the Titans this offseason in order […]
The Tennessee Titans will have a difficult decision to make this offseason when it comes to outside linebacker Bud Dupree and the remaining money on his contract.
Dupree carries a cap hit of $20.2 million in 2023, and there is a high likelihood that he will be cut by the Titans this offseason in order to get some much needed money off the books. Dupree has missed over 40 percent of defensive snaps due to injury in each of his two seasons in Tennessee, and has not fully rebounded from his torn ACL in December of 2020.
“Just coming back from the ACL injury, that puts stress on your body. Lots of compensation going on within that time and you develop habits that you normally don’t do. That’s what brought up my recent injuries that I’ve been having," Dupree said this past December, referring to his torn ACL during his time with Pittsburgh.
When on the field and feeling like himself, Dupree is undoubtedly valuable, but he simply has not been reliable enough. Tennessee has the likes of Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Rashad Weaver, Harold Landry III, and Teair Tart still on the defensive line for 2023, and Dupree is no longer a necessity, especially not for $20 million.
But even if the Titans are certain to cut him, one big question remains: When?
Because of the way Dupree's contract is structured, the Titans are in a difficult position when weighing their options for Dupree this offseason.
The Titans will owe Dupree $3.2 million dollars in each of the next three seasons as part of the his $16 million signing bonus. That money is not only guaranteed, but has also already been paid out to Dupree, it was just structured to go against the cap gradually over the five-year contract. That money is part of the "dead money" remaining on Dupree's deal because it cannot come off the books.
Should Dupree be cut before June 1st, the Titans would not be required to pay him his $17 million base salary in 2023, but the signing bonus payments of $3.2 million would all accelerate onto this year's payroll. $1.25 million of Dupree's 2023 salary also became guaranteed last season.
That's 3.2 million dollars for 2023, 2024, and 2025 all being paid out this season, as well as the $1.25 million of guaranteed salary for a total of $10.85 million in payments to Dupree for a Pre-June 1st cut and $9,350,000 in total cap savings.
If the Titans were to wait until after June 1st or designate Dupree as a post-June 1st cut, the additional signing bonus payments would not accelerate onto the Titans' cap this season, and would be spread out over the next two seasons, with this season's value remaining the same. That would leave Tennessee responsible for just one signing bonus payment of $3.2 million and the $1.25 million in guaranteed salary in 2023. In total, the Titans could save $15.75 million against this year's salary cap by cutting Dupree after June 1st.
Here's the issue. Any cap space the Titans clear from designating a player as a post-June 1st cut would not become available until that date in June. That's after free agency, after the NFL Draft, and after a majority of trades around the league have gone down. It lowers the cap number for the upcoming season, but doesn't create immediate salary cap space that can be used to add to the roster.
The Titans will have to decide whether or not they value the increased savings, or the ability to put savings towards another move in free agency.
Not an easy decision to make, but a necessary one that will need to be made in the next few weeks as the new league year begins.
Image via George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK
