This is a very interesting era in regard to folks being able to earn millions on social media by simply posting product endorsements to their followers. If Jerry and son were smart (and they aren't), they would leverage this personal branding aspect in contract negotiations. A players personal brand is worth way more in Dallas b/c they have more eyes on them.........more people watching them........more people listening when they talk...........all of this leads to more social media followers which creates huge endorsement opportunities for them..............opportunities created from the exposure they can only get as a Dallas Cowboy.
So, why can't Jerry say to a guy like Jaylon Smith " sign with us for less money and you will more than make up for it with the exposure you will get as a Dallas Cowboy. Your brand will be worth way more here than anywhere else". Then Jaylon and his agent can go do the math and see that he's got way more avenues of making money as a Dallas Cowboy than he would in just about any other NFL city. If Jaylon signs with Tampa, for example, nobody would pay any attention b/c there's no national media exposure and his brand would be near worthless.
Stars in demand don't think that way. Desperate players do.
Stars know they're worth the money because they can deliver for the price. Desperate players take the deals because they don't have leverage.
Besides, there's ego involved on Jerry's side too. He doesn't want to be seen as a cheap owner.
It's not like Dallas isn't getting something for its dollar. Pay top price for players, compete for the playoffs and Super Bowl. Also, top players bring in the dollars in terms of attendance and national interest.
If I'm a top player, I'm not taking less than my worth with the promise of making more simply because I'm a Cowboy. And I suspect if fans were in players' positions, they'd do just what players like Zeke did.
