Are the Os allowed to make a deal with CD where he agrees to retire but they still pay him a percentage of what he's owed on his contract? It feels like there has to be some sort of deal to work out but I'm not the rules/union would allow it.
Yup. The offense is good enough that when a starter gets knocked out early it's very rarely 'junk time.' Hold the other team at 5-7 runs and the offense has a chance to come back.