Carolina Panthers veteran running back DeAngelo Williams told WBTV's Molly Grantham that he has been released.
If you factor the money that he's owed and Williams' frequent injury issues, the move isn't entirely surprising. According to Spotrac.com, Williams had a $6.3 million cap hit with $6.6 million in dead cap -- translating into a loss of under $300,000 against the cap in 2015. However, there were two more years remaining on his deal, freeing up any cap issues for those years. In addition to the finances and injury, Williams will turn 32-years-old this March. Williams had only missed one game in the previous three seasons before 2014, but played in just six games and had 219 yards rushing.
Carolina also has on its roster Jonathan Stewart, who is five years younger and who led the team in carries this past season. Stewart had a strong season after dealing with injuries the previous two years, playing in 13 games and rushing for 809 yards, his highest total since 2009. He'll be the main back going forward.
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The Indianapolis Colts cut defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois, who was due $5.5 million in the 2015 NFL season. Jean-Francois signed a four-year, $22 million deal in 2013. While not a poor defensive player for the Colts, he wasn't playing at a high enough level to earn that kind of money.
This past season, Jean-Francois notched 28 tackles and three sacks, starting in 13 of the team’s regular season games. Per Pro Football Focus, his grade of +0.4 overall during the NFL’s regular season placed him as the 26th best 3-4 defensive end in all of football.