5) Dallas has a cap problem
The Cowboys aren’t in Salary Cap Hell yell, but they are falling through purgatory very fast. To be fair, Jones has done a good job keeping the reigns on his team’s payroll. As the cap is designed to do, however, he faces some tough decisions ahead.
In 2018 guard Zack Martin signed a six-year, $84M contract with $40M guaranteed. Last year, Dallas gave new deals to Ezekiel Elliott (six-years, $90M, $50M guaranteed), Jaylon Smith (five years, $63.75M, $35.4M guaranteed), and DeMarcus Lawrence (five-years, $105M, $48M guaranteed). This offseason, it was Amari Cooper, who got a big extension (five-years, $100M, $40M guaranteed).
Finally, the Cowboys put an Exclusive Franchise Tag on quarterback Dak Prescott in March. He’ll make $31.4M for 2020. Prescott wants to set the market for QBs with a contract for an average annual value of over $40M per season. He may not get it but will come in awfully close. The sides are talking long-term deal.
At best, the salary cap stays flat in 2021. There isn’t going to be an increase that allows for an escalating contract. Dallas didn’t have enough cap space to keep cornerback Byron Jones from leaving as a free agent this spring. They don’t have the room to add Adams’ contract, either.
Cowboys have offered Dak a five-year, $175M deal that would make him the highest-paid QB ever, per @CSimmsQB.
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) May 21, 2020
That’s $35M annually.
Dak reportedly wants “north of $45M” in the last year. pic.twitter.com/0CmBafWjty