Movements continue in the offices of the lone star team just a few days before the start of the new year of the league. Being more specific, there are two movements that have been made in order to have more space in the salary cap. And it’s about the restructuring of the contracts of quarterback Dak Prescott and guard Zack Martin. There are very interesting details about it, and the possibility that other elements may be part of these movements in the coming hours should not be ruled out.
The first one that clearly must be mentioned is QB Dak Prescott. The Cowboys’ franchise quarterback was going to have a cap hit of more than $49 million. Now that the restructuring has been done, the organization has been able to save a total of $22 million. Of course, we must not forget the fact that there was a lot of talk about a new extension for Dak and keeping it for many more years to come. But thanks to this move, the franchise may have decided to take a totally different route, at least for now.
Either way, the shakeup has given Prescott a 2024 salary of more than $59 million. So it should not be ruled out that the QB will have the extension very soon.
With the restructure, Dak Prescott’s 2024 salary-cap figure will be a little more than $59 million. Stephen Jones has discussed possibility of an extension for Prescott this offseason.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 10, 2023
Also, we have the situation of right guard Zack Martin. The veteran, who has already been part of the Pro Bowl eight times, has a contract until the 2024 season and has two void years on his contract. In short, both moves have saved the team up to $30 million in cap space for this year. And with this, that does not mean that other players can receive a similar type of operation since there are several elements that are in the crosshairs.
The #Cowboys cleared roughly $30 million in cap space by restructuring the contracts of Dak Prescott and Zack Martin, per the team.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2023
The first of these is undoubtedly offensive tackle Tyron Smith. The OT will have a base salary of 13.6 million dollars for this campaign with nothing guaranteed. Therefore, there is talk of the possibility of reaching an agreement where he can charge less so that he can stay in Dallas. Despite the myriad of injuries and absences he’s had in recent years, it doesn’t look bad that Smith could have his 13th season with the Cowboys. After all, he’s been the only NFL team he’s been on in his entire career.
Likewise, we have the case of receiver Michael Gallup. The offensive player would have a five-year, $62.5 million extension in 2022. And he certainly couldn’t have looked at his best, especially since it came off a torn ACL he suffered late in the 2021 season. He only added a total of 39 receptions for 424 yards and four touchdowns. Therefore, in the offices they could be evaluating restructuring his contract as well. Crunching the numbers, they could create a lot more space and save at least $7.8 million more. It should not be forgotten that Michael’s base salary will be eleven million for this new season. Although it cannot be ignored that in the offices they strongly believe that Gallup could improve much more after recovering from his old injury.
The Cowboys can also restructure the contract of WR Michael Gallup and create about $7.8 million in room if they choose. With an $11m base, it’s kind of the design of the 5-year deal signed last year. Team believes Gallup will be much-improved 2nd year removed from ACL surgery.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 10, 2023
Of course, don’t forget running back Ezekiel Elliott either. While it’s true that his whole situation is a big unknown thanks to his underperformance these past few seasons, coupled with the fact that Tony Pollard has received the franchise tag, anything could happen. It is already known that the same RB has stated that he would lower his salary to stay in the franchise. Especially since the guaranteed money from his extension is already complete and Dallas would not commit to giving him a higher salary than some athletes who have shown much more. Of course, it is known that offensively speaking, they seek to keep both Elliott and Pollard for this 2023.
Undoubtedly, there are many questions to be resolved regarding the contracts of some de rigueur elements of the lone star team. However, we will be waiting for the movements that the organization continues to make in the next few hours. Since a lot of this will depend on what can be done in free agency and the development of the roster for 2023.
