If you get paid great, you better play great. That’s the law of the NFL salary cap jungle and that’s the reason why Corey Webster remains on the Giants roster, but at a severely reduced salary.
Webster is coming off a sub-par season and was scheduled to make $7 million in base salary in 2013. It was an unhealthy combination that wasn’t going to be allowed to exist. Webster has agreed to a pay cut, slashing his 2013 salary to $4 million, which saves the Giants $3 million on the salary cap as Webster enters the final year of a $44 million contract he signed in 2008. If Webster had not agreed to the change he would have been cut. He’s been a starter on both of the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning teams since 2007 and now gets a chance to prove, at 31 years old, he’s not on the downside of his career.
Asked on Tuesday if he thought Webster and right tackle David Diehl — another high-priced veteran coming off a rough season — were worth keeping around, Tom Coughlin said “I think there’s no doubt they can definitely help the team. I do want them back. They can still contribute.’’
Webster has been a solid player for the Giants, but he was far from that last season, when, uncharacteristically, he was wildly inconsistent and beaten deep on a fairly regular basis. Opposing quarterbacks compiled a passer rating of 106.6 when throwing at Webster, according to Pro Football Focus. The eight touchdowns he allowed were second-most among NFL cornerbacks.
The Giants carved out more salary cap room by restructuring the contract of center David Baas, whose base salary for 2013 was scheduled to be $4.25 million. The Giants converted $3 million of that into a signing bonus and reduced his salary to $1.25 million. Baas doesn’t lose a dime and the Giants save $2 million on the cap.
The moves with Webster and Baas put the Giants around $9 million under the salary cap heading into free agency. The timing of the savings is intentional, of course, as the Giants try to re-sign several of their own unrestricted free agents — guard Kevin Boothe and tight end Martellus Bennett appear to be the priorities — and continue to try to hammer home a new deal for Victor Cruz, a restricted free agent. If a long-term deal cannot be reached with Cruz the Giants will place a first-round tender ($2.9 million) on him. They also will tender their two other restricted free agents, safety Stevie Brown and running back Andre Brown.
* The Giants and Jets are two of the four teams that have called about veteran defensive back Charles Woodson, according to ESPN. The Seahawks and Dolphins have also inquired about the 36-year old Woodson, an eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback who is now strictly a safety. … DE Justin Trattou, an exclusive rights free agent, re-signed with the Giants.