Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones has proven to be one of the most generous owners in sports over his 33 years. But his chinsey ways of recent may be prohibiting his beloved Cowboys from making another run at a Super Bowl.
Jerry Jones has written big checks in the past
Jones has written some of the biggest checks in the NFL. Running back Ezekiel Elliott signed a six-year, $90 million deal, with $50 million fully guaranteed. Quarterback Dak Prescott played his first four years under his rookie contract. That was peanuts compared to other NFL starting quarterbacks. Dallas placed the franchise tag on Prescott in 2020, which paid him $31.4 million for that season.. Then in 2021, Jones finally antied up and signed Prescott to a four-year, $160 million contract, with $126 million guaranteed. Prescott’s $66 millions signing bonus was the largest in NFL history.
Jones spread the wealth around as well. Guard Zack Martin has a cap hit of $21.1 million, left tackle Tyron Smith is at $17.5 million and right tackle La’el Collins checks in at $15.2 million. Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence will play his age 30 season with a cap hit of $27 million, the second highest paid defensive end in the NFL.
Cowboys must trim $21 million from payroll
All that spending put Dallas in salary cap hell this off-season. The team has to reduce $21 million from its payroll before the start of the 2022 season. Jones began the whacking by starting with wide receiver Amari Cooper. The 27-year-old veteran signed a five-year, $100 million contract in 2020, with $60 million guaranteed. Cooper had one of his worst seasons last year, when he caught just 68 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns. After the season, Cooper was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round raft pick.
Jones allowed starting tight end Blake Jarwin to walk on his $5.8 million deal for nothing in return. Jones probably felt fill-in Dalton Shultz play well enough last year to take over as the starter. The problem is, Schultz had the third most productive season of any tight end in the NFL, with 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. Now Schultz wants be be paid like a top three tight end, but Jones is only offering franchise tag money. Needless to say, Schultz will be playing out his final seson in Dallas unhappy.
For a complete list of the Dallas Cowboys 2020 salary cap hits, check here https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cap/
Gregory walks due to chinsey contract offer
Six-foot-six defensive lineman Randy Gregory has been one of the Cowboys’ top producers over recent years, when he is not suspended. In 2018, in 14 games, Gregory had 25 combined tackles, 19 solo tackles and six sacks. Last year, he only played in only 12 games and had 19 combined tackles, 15 solo tackles and six sacks. During free agency in 2022, it was reported that Gregory had signed a five-year contract extension with the Cowboys. However, there was a disagreement in the contract language that allowed the Cowboys to claim any bonuses if a player is fined or suspended, which led Gregory to instead sign a five-year, $70 million contract with the Denver Broncos. Another key piece gone withouot compensation.
“It’s not so much replacing Randy Gregory’s sacks as it is replacing his 30 quarterback pressures and the constant potential threat to opposing offenses must account for off the edge,” said Dallas Cowboys Insider Mickey Spagnola. “This should be a group effort, at least from the start. A combination of a healthy DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong and even Tarell Basham should pose pressure threats. But don’t fall asleep on second-round draft choice Sam Williams. The rookie defensive end from Ole Miss has sneaky quickness off the line and functional strength as a designated pass rusher.”
To pinch pennies elsewhere, Jones allowed 10-year veteran kicker Greg “The Leg” Zuerlien to walk with no compensation in free agency. Dallas signed Zeurlein to a three-year, $7.5 million contract in 2020, but that was apparently too steep for Jones to keep. Zuerlein is being replaced by a couple of rookies battling it out. A good kicker is an essential part of any good team. Games are often decided by whether or not kickers can convert their attempts.
Time is running out for Jerry Jones
Jones will turn 80-years-old this season. It has been 26 years since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl. They’re not even getting close these days, losing in either the first or second round of the playoffs. If he wants to reach another Super Bowl in his lifetime, he needs to find a way to keep some of these players who are walking out for free.