Archer: A look at the Cowboys cap situation for 2025

[gtb1943]

and the cowboys still have cap space....WOW, aren't the capalogists on this board embarassed with their doom and gloom scenarios!!!

and if you actually read the article, cowboys could have 65M on the cap with 2 simple moves.

this is so embarassing for you. I assume the gif is you jumping off the building.

We have always had cap space to do things
problem is that Big and Little Enos don't want to

 

[NDGAEDE]

Probably depends on if they want to move Tyler Smith out to Tackle or not. If not it just creates another FA need, and the cap savings would be more than gone for even a low end starting T on the open market.

Good point. Might need be forced to keep that contract then

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

You really thought diggs was a chance to get released?

 

[thunderpimp91]

Good point. Might need be forced to keep that contract then

That or roll the dice on a Guyton/Richards combo. I'm not sure there is a right answer on which way to go there. I'm not a huge fan of moving a top G outside to T, but the T situation is so bad it may force their hand.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

You really thought diggs was a chance to get released?

because of injuries, we can't. if he wasn't injured then maybe. the injury pretty much gaurantees his contract for next year.

 

[Proof]

Some notes:

- Some projections expect the 2025 salary cap to be approximately $275 million. Teams aren't planning for the $30 million jump it took in 2024, but it will still go up. According to Roster Management System, the Cowboys have 40 players signed for 2025 at a cost of $263 million.

- Prescott has a 2025 cap number of $89.89 million via the four-year extension he signed in September that made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The Cowboys will restructure that deal and gain about $36 million in cap room.

- Lamb has a cap number of $35.45 million for next season on the extension he signed in August, which made him the second-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The Cowboys will restructure that deal and gain about $20 million in cap space.

- That $56 million or so is a huge boost, and it would be more money if they extend Parsons. He is set to count $21.4 million on his fifth-year option, but a multiyear extension would lower that figure. But last offseason, the Cowboys did not sign Lamb until August and Prescott until September, so it's difficult to imagine the Cowboys will get a Parsons deal done by the time free agency opens in the middle of March.

- The season-ending knee injury sustained by cornerback Trevon Diggs negates the possibility of him being released in the offseason. His 2025 base salary of $9 million was guaranteed for injury at the time of signing in 2023. If he had not been injured, the Cowboys had until the fifth day of the 2025 league year, when the money would have been fully guaranteed, to release him and gain as much as $10 million in cap space.

- Right tackle Terence Steele is set to count $18.125 million against the cap next season. If the Cowboys designate him a post-June 1 release, they would save $14 million, but he would count about $6.4 million against the cap in 2026.

- Cornerback DaRon Bland will see his salary increase from $1.1 million to the cost of the second-round restricted free agent tender, which projects to be about $5.2 million, because he was selected to one Pro Bowl. Tight end Jake Ferguson will not get the same Pro Bowl boost because he was not on the initial roster in 2023, but his base salary will jump from $1.1 million to the right-of-first-refusal tender, which projects to be about $3.2 million. Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert will also have a base salary of $3.2 million, a jump of $1.8 million on his initial deal.

- The Cowboys have two players set to become restricted free agents in receiver KaVontae Turpin and safety Markquese Bell. Turpin is likely to earn a Pro Bowl bid for the second time in three seasons. Since he was undrafted, the Cowboys would have to put the second-round tender on him ($5.2 million) or risk losing him for nothing if another team signs him to an offer sheet. The Cowboys could pass on tendering Bell and attempt to re-sign him to a lower deal.

- But it will remain true that if the Cowboys want to be active in free agency -- if not at the top of the market -- they can be. So the major question of their approach to the 2025 offseason is: Will they?

so essentially despite dak and ceedees contract and micahs pending contract, they are in position to do what the eagles have done, and what everyone lauds them for. interesting times. after this years blundering, and then backtracking, i honestly feel like this is a make or break year re: confidence. most fans have already written them off after all the lucy and charlie brown football holding shenanigans over the years, but for me, if they actually manipulate the cap, sign some fa's and draft with a plan, i'll buy in. if not, i don't think i can stomach any more jones-isms.

 

[Flamma]

You left out the restructure that Archer says they will do. No Jones bs.

I think Archer is off on this one. If you look at Dak's contract, that 80M is the highest cap hit, and they put that on the first year of his extension. They didn't have to do that. If they needed 30+ million, his cap hit wouldn't be 89M to begin with. There are two reasons I believe they did this.

1. Since they have a lot of cap space, this gives they a chance to dump a lot of cap hit on this season.
2. This also allows them to claim they don't have a lot of cap space, because they don't need a lot.

This isn't to say they won't do a minor restructure in an emergency situation. But I don't see 30+ million. It doesn't make sense.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

because of injuries, we can't. if he wasn't injured then maybe. the injury pretty much gaurantees his contract for next year.

I don’t see that at all. He’s a pretty big star for them

 

[rambo2]

We have always had cap space to do things
problem is that Big and Little Enos don't want to

Why is that?

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

I don’t see that at all. He’s a pretty big star for them

yes, in jersey sales he is top 5 for the cowboys....thus he stays.

in terms of play, if an NFL football player refuses to tackle...he doesn't belong

 

[gimmesix]

I think if we are lucky and Jerry feels enough pressure we could see an aging vet on a smaller deal like a Stephon Diggs to fill the WR2 role....maybe a 2yr/$40M type of deal with a reasonable out after year 1? I think its possible we might be looking more at the trade market like they did with Cooks a couple years ago instead of giving up the comp pick though as they could be set up for a high comp pick or two.

We don't pay that kind of money to outside free agents even when we have it to give. We do spend a little more on players we trade for (Cooks' first year was $6 million and this year is $10 million). But the Joneses have made it their mission to not overpay in free agency to the point where they are only willing to underpay outside free agents.

This has been the Cowboys MO since 2013, so there is no reason to expect it to change.

 

[gimmesix]

Why is that?

Brandon Carr.

 

[CowboyStar88]

I just don’t want to touch that Prescott contract. If 25 is gonna be like 24 just eat the contract now.

 

[big dog cowboy]

the Cowboys make money, but they don't like spending money, i'm confused!!!

You know there is a salary cap floor all teams must spend each year, right?

 

[TwentyOne]

Quick answer to last question, “Will the Cowboys be active in free agency?” No because they literally do not know how to manage the cap in a way to build a great roster. They have never done it in the cap era.

On the money!

 

[CT Dal Fan]

Thanks for the original post. Too many fans look at Dak or CeeDee's average annual salary and think that's how much it counts towards the cap.

The Cowboys are in position to have a TON of spending money to open a three or four year window of contention.

But they won't. They will continue to pinch pennies to protect the cap for a "next year" that never gets here.

 

[nate dizzle]

Anybody okay with Steele accounting for 18 million next year?

How about tendering Turpin for 5.2 million?

Heck no to the first and heck yeah to the 2nd. I'm not sure that tender even keeps him.

There's about 90 million other things to be concerned about...literally

 

[Brooksey]

Some notes:

- Some projections expect the 2025 salary cap to be approximately $275 million. Teams aren't planning for the $30 million jump it took in 2024, but it will still go up. According to Roster Management System, the Cowboys have 40 players signed for 2025 at a cost of $263 million.

- Prescott has a 2025 cap number of $89.89 million via the four-year extension he signed in September that made him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. The Cowboys will restructure that deal and gain about $36 million in cap room.

- Lamb has a cap number of $35.45 million for next season on the extension he signed in August, which made him the second-highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. The Cowboys will restructure that deal and gain about $20 million in cap space.

- That $56 million or so is a huge boost, and it would be more money if they extend Parsons. He is set to count $21.4 million on his fifth-year option, but a multiyear extension would lower that figure. But last offseason, the Cowboys did not sign Lamb until August and Prescott until September, so it's difficult to imagine the Cowboys will get a Parsons deal done by the time free agency opens in the middle of March.

- The season-ending knee injury sustained by cornerback Trevon Diggs negates the possibility of him being released in the offseason. His 2025 base salary of $9 million was guaranteed for injury at the time of signing in 2023. If he had not been injured, the Cowboys had until the fifth day of the 2025 league year, when the money would have been fully guaranteed, to release him and gain as much as $10 million in cap space.

- Right tackle Terence Steele is set to count $18.125 million against the cap next season. If the Cowboys designate him a post-June 1 release, they would save $14 million, but he would count about $6.4 million against the cap in 2026.

- Cornerback DaRon Bland will see his salary increase from $1.1 million to the cost of the second-round restricted free agent tender, which projects to be about $5.2 million, because he was selected to one Pro Bowl. Tight end Jake Ferguson will not get the same Pro Bowl boost because he was not on the initial roster in 2023, but his base salary will jump from $1.1 million to the right-of-first-refusal tender, which projects to be about $3.2 million. Wide receiver Jalen Tolbert will also have a base salary of $3.2 million, a jump of $1.8 million on his initial deal.

- The Cowboys have two players set to become restricted free agents in receiver KaVontae Turpin and safety Markquese Bell. Turpin is likely to earn a Pro Bowl bid for the second time in three seasons. Since he was undrafted, the Cowboys would have to put the second-round tender on him ($5.2 million) or risk losing him for nothing if another team signs him to an offer sheet. The Cowboys could pass on tendering Bell and attempt to re-sign him to a lower deal.

- But it will remain true that if the Cowboys want to be active in free agency -- if not at the top of the market -- they can be. So the major question of their approach to the 2025 offseason is: Will they?

Good post. What if Jerry and Stephen are trying to be coy about FA but they're all in on 2025-2027 with Dak Prescott driving the bus? He's 82, this would be his final curtain.
Jerry is an ego maniac who manages through the media. He was embarrassed this year, and Imo with close to 100M available, he may try to make up for it with a FA spending flurry that will surprise.

Can your next post be about who we're signing for the SB run? I have us adding Budda Baker, Najee Harris and Javon Kinlaw to start and we still have about 60M left.

 

[charron]

They set the stage to look like they are broke so they don't have to be active.

 

[SlammedZero]

I still can't believe they gave Dak that contract.