Use the following trick to re-sign players for less in Franchise mode 
off-season. When you go to re-sign players, go to your "Player Management" 
screen first. Change the player that you want to re-sign to another 
position, such as a kicker or punter (the worst overall possible). Go back 
to re-sign that player for a lot less. Note: You cannot save the change 
unless you have enough players at that position after you change the 
player's position. For example, to change a cornerback to a kicker you 
must have four other cornerbacks remaining.