The offseason is a decisive part of what will happen in the season for all franchises. The Cowboys don’t typically spend their money on signing big names in the NFL but on retaining the standout players themselves. In that direction there will be several decisions that management will have to make about their stars.
It is not known what will be the salary space that the teams will have yet. However, it’s clear that Jerry Jones will have moves to make. There will be around four million added by 2023. The projected number to date is -7,413,887 for the top 51, according to Spotrac. Although there will be ways to have more flexibility to form a roster thinking about winning the Super Bowl.
One reason playoff elimination was painful was wasting an opportunity to get the team’s best on a cheap deal. Micah Parsons still has one more year to play on his rookie deal before considering an extension, but that’s not the case for CeeDee Lamb or Trevon Diggs. There are other veterans who could be part of restructurings.
Cowboys confirmed these restructures are complete. Contracts for QB Dak Prescott (about $15 million) and RG Zack Martin (about $7 million) created more than $22M in cap space for 2022 league year. Money pushed into a future when NFL’s salary cap is expected to continue rise. https://t.co/B3EGXwEOKy
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 8, 2022
Dak Prescott
The quarterback will be in the third season of his four-year, $160 million contract. His cap hit will undoubtedly be the highest of the entire roster. The $49,130,000 he’ll occupy is actually surpassed by none other than Deshaun Watson in the entire league, so it would make sense for management to restructure a portion of bond to create cap space. If they are confident that Prescott is the ideal quarterback for Dallas, that would be a good thing.
Zack Martin
Someone who was the recipient of shakeups on several occasions was the stellar right guard who has the line. He’s the perfect item to make those kinds of moves because his spot on the roster isn’t up for grabs. The level was outstanding again, although it will have the third highest impact with 19,890,000. A player who is also in that situation is DeMarcus Lawrence with 26,000,000.
Tyron Smith
What will happen to the Cowboys tackle could be one of the stories to follow in the NFL. Although his performance in recent games has not been what he knew to be, he is a solid piece. However, recent injuries make it difficult to see such a reliable future. Drafting Tyler Smith will allow the team to have a backup plan. The veteran has a hit cap of 17,605,000. What could complicate his continuity is that 9,590,000 would be released if he is cut or transferred.
Ezekiel Elliott
It is almost impossible to think that the runner will return to the team with his current contract. Only now could Dallas get rid of the huge extension they signed to Elliott in 2019 without taking a salary cap loss. Elliott rounds out the Top 5 in salary impact, but the Cowboys would make just under $5 million if they move him. One possibility is that the running back will accept a discount.
Trevon Diggs/CeeDee Lamb
The stars of the future on the team were drafted in 2020. They along with Parsons should be the base of Dallas for years to come. Until now they have been competing for little money with respect to their contribution, although that could change soon. Both Diggs and Lamb are eligible for extensions having completed three seasons.
Management is under no obligation to give them new links. Diggs will be in the final year of his contract, but there is a possibility of giving him the franchise tag in 2024 if they don’t reach an agreement. Lamb gives even more leeway for the fifth-season option that first-round picks have.
The cornerback could ask for a contract of around 20 million per year. Lamb might go as high as $25 million a year because of the state of the receiver market. The franchise is not forced to retain them with a new negotiation. However, it would be smart to do so. The longer they take to do it, the more it will cost them.
