Agent's take: Cowboys likely to go on 2019 spending spree

[Teague31]

I really think ET will be the only FA signing of note. Everything else is going to current players

 

[ultron]

What discount? Dak will want top 5 money on a long term deal so the most reasonable approach is to make him play out the final year of his rookie deal which is actually a real discount. Then plan to franchise him the following year. That will give you two more years at an average of $14-15 million per year to evaluate him and determine if he is worthy of the kind of deal he will want. I like Dak and think he is a solid football player but I still don’t know if he can be the QB of a team that wins the super bowl. I’d like two more years to come try an gigure that out before paying him and committing big money for a long time.

Dak will not get top 5 money, I don't care what anyone says - he knows his worth and it's around 17-19 million. Do you think he gets that Campbell's soup commercials and other commercials by being the starting QB of the Buffalo Bills? Don't forget that Texas is a no-state income tax state. These things matter & he wants to be a part of this team.

 

[ultron]

I really think ET will be the only FA signing of note. Everything else is going to current players

Yep and that's the only move they really need to make

 

[ShiningStar]

As noted the past few years.....this coming offseason is one where Dallas will likely dole out some big contracts just to keep above the floor and retain core players. Don't be surprised if we dip into the free agent market heavier as well. There is a ton of cap to spend.

And remember we tried to pay Sammy Watkins...

im actually glad we missed on Watkins, or him on us.

 

[ShiningStar]

I really think ET will be the only FA signing of note. Everything else is going to current players

Do we offer a decent deal, or do we give him what he commands and is happy to come to Dallas?

 

[Cowboys22]

Dak will not get top 5 money, I don't care what anyone says - he knows his worth and it's around 17-19 million. Do you think he gets that Campbell's soup commercials and other commercials by being the starting QB of the Buffalo Bills? Don't forget that Texas is a no-state income tax state. These things matter & he wants to be a part of this team.

Keep,dreaming if you think he and his agent aren’t going to want top 5 money.

 

[ShiningStar]

Keep,dreaming if you think he and his agent aren’t going to want top 5 money.

they can want it, doesnt mean we ll pay it. Another team should, im not saying hes worse than whats out there, but as it stands right now, hes not top 5. I like Dak, but hes not top 5 yet.

 

[Verdict]

2019 keep Lawrence and everyone is expendable:
2020 Sean Lee, Hurns, Health, Showers, Brown, and probably a few more can/has to walk!
Just have to draft now

You can finance a chunk of Lawrences contract by moving on from Sean Lee or making him take a pay cut. I would cut his salary in half.

 

[ShiningStar]

You can finance a chunk of Lawrences contract by moving on from Sean Lee or making him take a pay cut. I would cut his salary in half.

id move him to coach or tell him next year is more about being a back up, or less snaps to prolong his career. Id rather him pick coaching.

 

[HappyOnions]

Why does every single QB signing these days have to be record-setting contracts?

Carr, Cousins, Rodgers, Luck, etc.

Dak can and should sign for less than $100 million... He isn't worth that much... And this team would be fools to give him that kind of money at the expense of the defensive stars.

 

[Alexander]

 

[Alexander]

For the record, last month, Stephen singled out DLaw, Byron Jones, Dak at the top of his list. Sure there are more but I think he threw those names out for quick reference of what he was facing for 2019.

If signing your own qualities as a "spending spree", there you go.

 

[dckid]

Dak will not get top 5 money, I don't care what anyone says - he knows his worth and it's around 17-19 million. Do you think he gets that Campbell's soup commercials and other commercials by being the starting QB of the Buffalo Bills? Don't forget that Texas is a no-state income tax state. These things matter & he wants to be a part of this team.

I hope we play smart but the trend is every next contract gets larger and larger.
https://overthecap.com/position/quarterback/

 

[BigD49]

Man I hope this team has budgeted for the FAT extension Rico is going to command come FA time

 

[cern]

the issue is in the hands of the extremely competent and parsimonious Stephen jones. he'll make the best deals he can with as many of the key players as he can. will mcclay will scout free agents in the advent we should lose some players. tough job. but in most competent hands.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Yeah, the way QB salaries are escalating, I think I probably agree with you. I would try to negotiate a two year deal with an optional 3rd year and see if I could set up a prove it type contract. It's smart to give him more money then what he is currently earning but I don't think I would pay him stupid money, based on what you see now. Now, if he were open to a very reasonable long term deal, something like what Tyron agreed to (obviously not the same money), then I might do a long term deal with Dak. The thing about it is that if you pay a QB a lot of money, you kill your cap and you end up fielding a lessor team. Does anybody see Dak winning with guys who really aren't as good as what he has now? At this stage in his career, I don't.

JMO

Here's what I would do.........the QB tag for 2020 will likely be in the range of $25 30M. I would offer 100% guaranteed 3-year $75M deal. This way we're not stuck in a long-term deal. Dak gets his pay-day with another shot in 3 years at only 27-28. We also save a little $$$ rather waiting until 2020 when the tag will likely be closer to $30M for QBs. Just me but this seem to make sense for both sides.

 

[ultron]

I think it will be more of an in-house spending spree and possibly one big addition (Earl Thomas). The Cowboys tried to get Earl for a 3rd round pick early this season and then increased their offer to a 2nd round pick at the last minute. The trade didn't happen & as we all know Earl broke his leg and can be seen cursing and flipping off the Seahawks bench. He's from Texas, played college ball for Texas, and is not hiding the fact that he wants to be a Cowboy.

The Cowboys have a top flight defense and in my mind only have one weakness (Safety). Earl is a perennial all-pro [even at his age] and plays with intensity and heart (a perfect match for what we have).

The only way Earl ends up anywhere else is if his asking price is too high. It will be interesting to see how it pans out, we have a ton of big name free agents hitting the block next year, so the Cowboys have to be careful with how they spend money. The window to win in the NFL is too short, I don't believe they'll pass up an opportunity to sign Earl!

 

[beware_d-ware]

The priority is going to be retaining our own players and the FO knows it. We've been in draft and develop mode for 5 years, and I don't think we're going to cut bait on these guys now that we have the talent.

Also - I don't get people's fixation with the franchise tag. They treat it as a way to ameliorate risk - "we can keep this guy playing for the Cowboys without a long term contract!" - but the franchise tag if anything is a risky gamble, both for the player and for the team. Sometimes the players lose, like Le'Veon Bell. Sometimes the players win. Joe Flacco won a Super Bowl on the franchise tag and his price tag just went completely bonkers. It's funny how people on this board are saying we should tag Dak when we have other threads saying that Jerry and the FO were dumm for tagging D-Law, because his price tag has only gone up in 2018.

Players hate the tag too, because they are well aware that they're never further than a wrong 5 second play from being out of the league and they want their guaranteed money as fast as possible. One tag will tick a guy off, but double-tagging a guy just burns all bridges with him. If you're not going to give him a long term deal, he'll find another team that will. Double-tagging Zeke or Dak would almost certainly mean losing Zeke or Dak.

I'd say if you're planning to double-tag a guy, you should just sign him to a big contract and frontload the guarantees. You're planning to guarantee him two years of top 5 money anyway, just give that to him and then you've still got the option to keep him on the back end if he's still playing well. If he's not, you can dump him like we did with Dez for a smaller financial penalty. The franchise tag is a negotiating tool IMO, not a way to replace contracts.

 

[Verdict]

id move him to coach or tell him next year is more about being a back up, or less snaps to prolong his career. Id rather him pick coaching.

I'm OK if he plays as a backup but not play over LVE or at that price.

 

[DC Cowboy]

You can finance a chunk of Lawrences contract by moving on from Sean Lee or making him take a pay cut. I would cut his salary in half.

pay him less as a LB coach