Cowboys Cap space in 2021

CowboyRoy

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Taking a look at the cap space for 2021 the Cowboys appear to have 36 million in cap space.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cap/2021/

This is without Dak on there and with guys like Crawford no longer on the books.

If Dak signs a long term deal then I dont see an issue at all. The hit will probably be in the 30M range even if his salary average is 35.

With rookie signings this would appear to give us plenty of room to sign all of them, however we would be right up against the cap.

This however, would be before any restructuring would take place or letting go manuevering. Which I would like to see them keep to a minimum.

It appears the Cowboys have definitely prepared well for this day as they have all the money for these guys going forward.

As long as the Cowboys continue to draft well, I dont see the cap being an issue at all. The ONLY big signing in the next two years is Gallup and LVE. I dont see them keeping Gallup, unless he signs for something under his value. I just dont see it happening.

Zeke and his 15 million comes off after the 2022 season so we see reprieve there.

Maybe the Cowboys let Cooper walk after 2022 as well and keep Gallup. That would probably be my play. No need to have a 20M receiver on the team if you definitely dont need him.

I think the play is to sign Dak to 4 years and that is the window. In that time we draft his replacement and groom him. If we havent groomed a young stud at QB then evaluate the state of the team then.
 

John813

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They'll restructure depending on how certain guys play this year. Jaylon Smith is a prime candidate. Along with Cooper if they decide he's part of their long term plans.
Be curious to see if there is any growth in cap ceiling depending on how the CV-19 issue affects fans from attending. While the NFL makes billions on TV deals, losing $ on seats/money spent on merch will hurt to some degree.
 

CowboyRoy

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They'll restructure depending on how certain guys play this year. Jaylon Smith is a prime candidate. Along with Cooper if they decide he's part of their long term plans.
Be curious to see if there is any growth in cap ceiling depending on how the CV-19 issue affects fans from attending. While the NFL makes billions on TV deals, losing $ on seats/money spent on merch will hurt to some degree.

Very true...……...but like someone said, it will affect everyone.
 

dallasdave

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Taking a look at the cap space for 2021 the Cowboys appear to have 36 million in cap space.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cap/2021/

This is without Dak on there and with guys like Crawford no longer on the books.

If Dak signs a long term deal then I dont see an issue at all. The hit will probably be in the 30M range even if his salary average is 35.

With rookie signings this would appear to give us plenty of room to sign all of them, however we would be right up against the cap.

This however, would be before any restructuring would take place or letting go manuevering. Which I would like to see them keep to a minimum.

It appears the Cowboys have definitely prepared well for this day as they have all the money for these guys going forward.

As long as the Cowboys continue to draft well, I dont see the cap being an issue at all. The ONLY big signing in the next two years is Gallup and LVE. I dont see them keeping Gallup, unless he signs for something under his value. I just dont see it happening.

Zeke and his 15 million comes off after the 2022 season so we see reprieve there.

Maybe the Cowboys let Cooper walk after 2022 as well and keep Gallup. That would probably be my play. No need to have a 20M receiver on the team if you definitely dont need him.

I think the play is to sign Dak to 4 years and that is the window. In that time we draft his replacement and groom him. If we havent groomed a young stud at QB then evaluate the state of the team then.
D Law is a contract that can be redone to ease the cap next year.
 

Buzzbait

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They'll restructure depending on how certain guys play this year. Jaylon Smith is a prime candidate. Along with Cooper if they decide he's part of their long term plans.
Be curious to see if there is any growth in cap ceiling depending on how the CV-19 issue affects fans from attending. While the NFL makes billions on TV deals, losing $ on seats/money spent on merch will hurt to some degree.

If there's a growth in the cap ceiling, just don't get between Dak and the grab bag or you'll get run over.
 

Cwby41

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If we will be up against the cap that tight, that means we lose X woods, HaHa, Chido, and Lewis. Plus you would think this is Lee's last year as well? Thats alot of pieces to fill in
 

ksg811

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There's quite a bit wrong with Spotrac's 2021 cap sheet.

1. They have no 2020 rollover. We don't know how much yet, but Dallas generally rolls $5-10 million in space year over year.
2. They do not have Travis Frederick's dead money on the books. Spotrac accelerated all of his dead money from his retirement onto 2020's cap. He has yet to file his paperwork and isn't expected to do so until after 6/1, which would defer $7 million in dead money to next year, which in turn creates $7 million in 2020 space.
3. No rookies have signed yet, and therefore are not currently included in their 2021 calculation,
4. $209 million is much too low of an estimate, in my opinion. Even with the uncertainties, I expect minimal revenue loss, and therefore near full utilization of the new CBA (revenue share increase for players and increased revenue from playoff expansion).

On my personal cap sheet, I've set the NFL's base salary cap at (IMO a still conservative) $225 million. With an additional $8 million in rollover, that sets the Cowboys cap at $233 million. Including estimated 2nd year cap hits for the rookies and Fredbeard's dead money, I have the Cowboys with $182.5 in cap liabilities, leaving $50.25 million in cap space.

This figure does not include a long term Dak deal. He would likely come in somewhere between $30-35 million, which would still leave $15-20 in cap space with a full roster, no major FAs and plenty of options to create even more room.
 

John813

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If there's a growth in the cap ceiling, just don't get between Dak and the grab bag or you'll get run over.

lol

I think this could be a reason for Dallas not bowing out of the 5 year term.

Always easier to restructure deals with more term to them. Romo's last deal was designed for restructuring as they were going to be close to the cap while competing in 2014/15/16. Oh course it hurt when he couldn't stay healthy and you know the rest.

But restructuring him allowed us to sign guys as well.

@ksg811 , in terms of Frederick's cap hit, does it really matter from a 2021 standpoint if it was a June 1st cut or not?
If they had his dead cap hit all in 2020 that means 2021 doesn't get the 7mil rollover in cap space if unused.
But on the flipside there is no 7mil dead cap hit in 2021, so it's a wash.

Now, if the Cowboys were going to use that 7 mil savings this year, post June 1st, to sign someone then yea, it's no longer a wash.
 
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big dog cowboy

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There's quite a bit wrong with Spotrac's 2021 cap sheet.

1. They have no 2020 rollover. We don't know how much yet, but Dallas generally rolls $5-10 million in space year over year.
2. They do not have Travis Frederick's dead money on the books. Spotrac accelerated all of his dead money from his retirement onto 2020's cap. He has yet to file his paperwork and isn't expected to do so until after 6/1, which would defer $7 million in dead money to next year, which in turn creates $7 million in 2020 space.
3. No rookies have signed yet, and therefore are not currently included in their 2021 calculation,
4. $209 million is much too low of an estimate, in my opinion. Even with the uncertainties, I expect minimal revenue loss, and therefore near full utilization of the new CBA (revenue share increase for players and increased revenue from playoff expansion).

On my personal cap sheet, I've set the NFL's base salary cap at (IMO a still conservative) $225 million. With an additional $8 million in rollover, that sets the Cowboys cap at $233 million. Including estimated 2nd year cap hits for the rookies and Fredbeard's dead money, I have the Cowboys with $182.5 in cap liabilities, leaving $50.25 million in cap space.

This figure does not include a long term Dak deal. He would likely come in somewhere between $30-35 million, which would still leave $15-20 in cap space with a full roster, no major FAs and plenty of options to create even more room.
:bow:
 

ksg811

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lol

I think this could be a reason for Dallas not bowing out of the 5 year term.

Always easier to restructure deals with more term to them. Romo's last deal was designed for restructuring as they were going to be close to the cap while competing in 2014/15/16. Oh course it hurt when he couldn't stay healthy and you know the rest.

But restructuring him allowed us to sign guys as well.

@ksg811 , in terms of Frederick's cap hit, does it really matter from a 2021 standpoint if it was a June 1st cut or not?
If they had his dead cap hit all in 2020 that means 2021 doesn't get the 7mil rollover in cap space if unused.
But on the flipside there is no 7mil dead cap hit in 2021, so it's a wash.

Now, if the Cowboys were going to use that 7 mil savings this year, post June 1st, to sign someone then yea, it's no longer a wash.

In regards to Frederick, you answered it. One to one, they wash and there is no net impact on the cap, but if it's used up then there is a net loss next year from a cap perspective.
 

CowboyRoy

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D Law is a contract that can be redone to ease the cap next year.

I think we are in great shape. We have signed the entire young core for this 3 to 4 year run. The cap is in great shape, and we have flexibility.
 

Cowboys22

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Next offseason looks to be a lot like this one. They will resign the guys they want to moderate deals, let the higher price guys go for the comp picks, fill back in with moderate 1 year deals, and hopefully draft as well again. I see S, CB, TE, LB, DL, and WR as a need in the draft next year so those extra picks will come in handy. I included WR because I still think finding a true speedy slot WR will be key to having flexibility in 2 years. If it comes down to Cooper vs Gallup, and Gallup is just as good, it will make sense to release Cooper and sign Gallup. That would give you Lamb, Gallup, and a true slot WR. I’d like to give myself that option when the time comes.
 

Manwiththeplan

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I dont see them keeping Gallup, unless he signs for something under his value. I just dont see it happening.

To be honest, I don't think it will be as difficult as many think, but I obviously can't say we definitely will. Right now, Amari Cooper is on the books for about $20 million per and will count for $22 million when Gallup becomes a free agent. We *could* resign Gallup and even pay him as a low end #1 WR, because Lamb will still be on his rookie deal and will only count for about $4 million (rounded up LVE's 3rd year salary). When it's time to resign Lamb in year 4 or 5, guess what, Cooper will be either in the final year of his deal or a free agent himself, and we can likely extend him for significantly cheaper than he is now because he'll be 30. We could *still* sign Lamb to a deal where he gets paid as a #1 and keep all three.
 

CowboyRoy

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To be honest, I don't think it will be as difficult as many think, but I obviously can't say we definitely will. Right now, Amari Cooper is on the books for about $20 million per and will count for $22 million when Gallup becomes a free agent. We *could* resign Gallup and even pay him as a low end #1 WR, because Lamb will still be on his rookie deal and will only count for about $4 million (rounded up LVE's 3rd year salary). When it's time to resign Lamb in year 4 or 5, guess what, Cooper will be either in the final year of his deal or a free agent himself, and we can likely extend him for significantly cheaper than he is now because he'll be 30. We could *still* sign Lamb to a deal where he gets paid as a #1 and keep all three.

I could definitely see paying Gallup as a #2 as you said and then trading or cutting cooper after two years when the cap hit is minimal. Then going forward with Lamb as #1 and Gallup as #2. We should be able to find a WR in the draft between now and then to groom as the #3 when Cooper is gone.
 

CowboyRoy

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Next offseason looks to be a lot like this one. They will resign the guys they want to moderate deals, let the higher price guys go for the comp picks, fill back in with moderate 1 year deals, and hopefully draft as well again. I see S, CB, TE, LB, DL, and WR as a need in the draft next year so those extra picks will come in handy. I included WR because I still think finding a true speedy slot WR will be key to having flexibility in 2 years. If it comes down to Cooper vs Gallup, and Gallup is just as good, it will make sense to release Cooper and sign Gallup. That would give you Lamb, Gallup, and a true slot WR. I’d like to give myself that option when the time comes.

One way to look at the cap is that we could easily be on the path of Zeke and Cooper moving on from in two years. That would be saving 35 million right there. All we would need to do is use a 3rd and 4th round pick in the next two years and secure another young back and another young WR to replace them.
 

John813

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Just my opinion but I wouldn't touch D-Law's contract. By 2021 he only has 2 years left and the existing cap hits for 2022 and 2023 are still very high for edge rushers. Any restructure on that deal will only be split over 3 years(current and remaining two years). So, the team would be limited on how much they would actually want to restructure as the cap hits for the prorated new bonus is spread out over a shorter term and his cap hits for 22 and 23 will be even higher.

Someone like Zach Martin has cap hits that peaks at 15,8 mil years down the road. He would be prime too for a restructure, granted his back issue doesn't flare up again. With Laremy Tunsil breaking the 20mil mark, future contracts to T,G and C will continue to skyrocket.
 

Manwiththeplan

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I could definitely see paying Gallup as a #2 as you said and then trading or cutting cooper after two years when the cap hit is minimal. Then going forward with Lamb as #1 and Gallup as #2. We should be able to find a WR in the draft between now and then to groom as the #3 when Cooper is gone.

Yea, long term, I think it's very important that we keep Lamb and Gallup
 
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