So now look at the CAP for the next couple of years.
Jerry's still got 40m of Dak's CAP to incorporate, (which helped us get to 12-5 in the past 3 seasons)....so it's not a $9m difference with Hurts. Btw didn't Hurts 'help out' by signing a longer contract, unlike Dak with his shorter 'I want another payday' contract.
The narrative with Dak is that you can't pay him AND a team that alleviates his inability to play when pressured in play-offs (or against most every good team).
again I understand. but why didn't he spend the money this year? he had 23M in cap space.
if we were truly all in, then a 12-5 team should be able to sign a couple of key FAs to close the gap to make a run this year. not worry about, how do I manage my cap in 25 and 26..
and again, we can have 65-70M in cap space in 25 with a few restructures and that includes Dak's 90M cap hit.
the fact is that the cowboys are 29th in dead cap money...why? because Jerry runs the contracts to the end, and doesn't cut players early. compare that to other teams. they get rid of fat cats that don't produce.
this cap is not of Dak's doing. its of Jerry's doing and how he has managed and handled contracts. and first time around Dak and jerry figured out a way to get a 4 year contract into a 6 year structure for cap management. its doable.
and if Dak wants a 4 year contract, then Jerry should walk away. nobody is holding a gun to his head..... this is not of Dak's doing. its like I have a car to sell. I am going to ask for 3 times the market price. if you buy it, you can't complain. no one forced you. you could have walked away. but when you bought it, then just deal with it.
and Dak's ability/inability to play in playoffs is whole separate discussion.... this is just about cap management and its not an issue handicapping the cowboys.
we can debate Dak's shortcoming until cows come home. there is only 1 elite QB in the league and 2 really good ones that are close. so do the other 29 teams just pack it in? no they find a way to compete. its harder, but doable. SF did. and no one can tell me Purdy is elite. Eagles did it and doing it again. no one can tell me Hurts is elite.
but the cap is not an issue for cowboys to be handicapped and not be able to sign players in FA. its stupidity of the GM. now, should we have moved on from Dak, most probably. I advocated that its best for both parties to part ways. Jerry didn't do it.