5 NFL QBs Who Should Restructure Contracts to Clear Cap Space

Ben Roethlisberger made headlines Thursday by restructuring his contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers to free up valuable cap space, something a handful of other NFL quarterbacks should also do for their respective teams.

The selfless move was also an extremely smart one from Big Ben, as his actions freed up approximately $8 million that the Steelers can now use to pursue their top priority, retaining star wideout Mike Wallace. The team had previously been worried they might not be able to afford the salary he's going to command.

There are five other NFL franchises that would greatly benefit from a similar gesture.

Note: All contract and cap numbers acquired from spotrac.com, unless otherwise noted.

Michael Vick

The Philadelphia Eagles aren't in a position to do much this offseason. They are only $14.2 million under the cap before free agency and the NFL draft.

Michael Vick's 2012 cap hit is $13.9 million. 

Ouch.

It'll be double-ouch if Vick is once again sidelined for a few games due to injury next season. 

The Eagles have said they intend to use the franchise tag on free-agent wide receiver DeSean Jackson to the tune of a $9.5 million cap hit for 2012. 

That leaves them with less than $5 million for the rest of their offseason shopping needs, including the salaries of the rookies, drafted and undrafted.

There are too many areas of need for the Eagles to fill with that kind of cash. The defensive line could stand to use an upgrade in the middle, and the team needs to find a decent option at free safety.

Vick should be able to free up at least a few million by restructuring his contract, allowing the Eagles to attack their needs without scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

Carson Palmer

Carson Palmer's base salary in 2012 is $12.5 million. The Oakland Raiders are just $11.66 million under the cap.

Of their own free agents, safety Tyvon Branch is their top priority to re-sign, even if they have to franchise him to do it. The franchise tag will run the Raiders more than $6 million, leaving under $6 million for all other spending in 2012.

Running back Michael Bush is also a player they'd love to have back, but it's going to be tough for them to compete with other teams, given their current situation.

Then there are guys like Quintin Groves, Samson Satele, Khalif Barnes and Jarvis Moss who are going to be free agents come March 13.

The Raiders are also in need of major upgrades in their secondary and on their offensive and defensive lines. They won't be able to address many of their issues unless they figure out ways to cut current costs.

Palmer should take one for the team so they can bring in the talent necessary to challenge for a title.

Eli Manning

After winning Super Bowl XLVI, the New York Giants now find themselves at risk of losing some of their core talent via free agency, as they have 23 players hitting the market when free agency starts.

Out of those 23 players, eight were starters for the Giants in 2011. Guys like Mario Manningham, Aaron Ross, Jake Ballard, Chase Blackburn, Rocky Bernard and Kareem McKenzie are all scheduled to become available to the highest bidder.

Not to mention the Giants' two other problem contracts—Brandon Jacobs and Osi Umenyiora are two players that will be giving the front office fits over the course of the next few months. 

Jacobs is going to cost the Giants $6.86 million in 2012 and the team could choose to cut him unless they work out a compromise. 

Umenyiora is scheduled to make $4.6 million next year, a number he's not happy about. Remember, he held out last year, in vain, for a new contract. 

The Giants are only $2.3 million under the projected 2012 salary cap. Eli Manning's salary for next season is $15.19 million. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see they need some help to, at the very least, retain their key personnel. 

Manning could alleviate some of the pressure by taking a page from the book of Roethlisberger and renegotiating his contract for the betterment of the team.

Kevin Kolb

The Arizona Cardinals are in dire straights with their cap situation. 

As of right now, they are sitting right at the cap limit. No wiggle room at all.

Defensive end Calais Campbell is going to be their main priority, and the team is prepared to franchise him. This is going to cost them approximately $10 million. 

Uh-oh.

Kevin Kolb was bought for a king's ransom last year, costing the Cardinals Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round pick, to go along with the five-year, $65 million contract they gave him.

His cap number in 2012 is $10 million. The worst part of the whole deal is that he is clearly not worth the money. He isn't even going into training camp as the team's starting quarterback, as head coach Ken Whisenhunt has said Kolb and John Skelton will compete for the position.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kolb and the Cardinals need to restructure his deal so they can add some key pieces and to try and compete with the resurgent San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West.

Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez is set to earn $14.25 million in 2012, a figure that is well above his true worth. This is a product of the now-abolished system that gave rookies obscene contracts before they had ever played even one down in the league.

The New York Jets are heading into the offseason in terrible shape from a financial standpoint. They are currently sitting at $4.68 million under the cap, and they have some big names to re-sign.

Plaxico Burress, Sione Pouha, Nick Folk, Jim Leonhard and last year's sack leader, Aaron Maybin, are just a handful of players hitting free agency.

Out of these five, you'd have to think Pouha will be the top priority. Their defense will surely take another step in the wrong direction if he isn't there to anchor the D-line next year.

The "Sanchize" and the Jets need to get together for the good of the franchise and cut his salary figure in half for the team to have a chance in you know what to keep their main pieces, let alone to try and make any upgrades.