Teams start trimming as free agency looms

Miami cornerback Sam Madison, Buffalo safety Lawyer Milloy, and Trevor Pryce and Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos were among the salary cap cuts on Wednesday as NFL teams started paring down their rosters in preparation for the start of free agency.

Madison spent his first nine seasons in Miami, becoming the first Dolphins cornerback to make the Pro Bowl. He had recently offered to take a pay cut to stay with the team.

“It’s that time of the year where all teams are involved in making some, to a degree, painful decisions,” said Buffalo general manager Marv Levy, who also waived defensive tackle Sam Adams and tight end Mark Campbell.

Complicating matters is the lack of a collective bargaining agreement past 2007.

NFL owners will meet in New York today, looking to reach an agreement with the players’ union that could add $10 million to $15 million to a 2006 salary cap that is $94.5 million. Without it, some teams could be forced into wholesale cuts to get beneath the cap by midnight. Free agency starts Friday.

The Broncos and Carolina aren’t waiting for the news.

Denver will save at least $10.6 million by cutting Anderson, Pryce and promising tight end Jeb Putzier. Anderson led the team in rushing last year with 1,014 yards, but with Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne also in the backfield, he became expendable.

Pryce played nine seasons in Denver, including the 1997 and 1998 seasons when the team won back-to-back Super Bowls.

Carolina trimmed about $4 million by releasing running back Stephen Davis, defensive tackle Brentson Buckner and kick returner Rod Smart.

Davis rushed for a team-record 1,444 yards in 2003. But he missed most of last season with a knee injury that led to surgery and put his career in doubt.

Washington quarterback Mark Brunell agreed in principle to restructure his contract, pending the collective bargaining agreement.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis linebacker Gary Brackett, who led the team in tackles, agreed to a multiyear deal while tight end Ben Utecht and offensive guard Ryan Lilja were offered new contracts; quarterback Chris Simms agreed to a one-year contract with Tampa Bay; tight end and special teams standout Daniel Wilcox signed a three-year contract with Baltimore; and Orpheus Roye, who had a career-high 95 tackles last season, signed a three-year contract extension with Cleveland.