Void years and money spent on players after they leave

[doomsday9084]

Dallas has actually gone pretty far in trying to spend more than the cap to keep its existing team together over the last few years. If the team was ever "all in" it was a few years ago when it was spending far more cash than the cap. They did so by rolling out contracts and spreading expenses over years after the player is due to leave. Other teams don't actually do this nearly as much. This is about to bite Dallas.

https://overthecap.com/player/dak-prescott/4848
If Prescott leaves, he will cost $40m against the cap over several years. Even if he stays, this $40m will get tacked on above his AAV for his next contract.

https://overthecap.com/player/zack-martin/2955
Possibly just as painful, Dallas spread Zack Martin's hit over many years after he leaves. He will cost $26M against the cap.

https://overthecap.com/player/demarcus-lawrence/2973
DLaw is $7m.

https://overthecap.com/player/brandin-cooks/2959
Cooks is $4m

I'll post some other teams:
https://overthecap.com/player/trevor-lawrence/9465
Trevor Lawrence's new deal has two years $21m after his deal.

https://overthecap.com/player/josh-allen/6892
Josh Allen has no void years

https://overthecap.com/player/patrick-mahomes/5594
Mahomes has two void years but at $0. KC basically gave themselves room to move money if they have to, but haven't pulled the trigger.

Getting back to Dallas, the whole "cap is a myth" thing is a myth. You can move money from year to year but the bill always comes due.
https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/dallas-cowboys
Right now, Dallas is due to pay $55m in void money next year while also taking $8.5m for Gallup. That's $63.5m less than what some other teams can spend against the cap. Competing in that environment is going to be extremely challenging. Its like starting a 100m dash 20m behind everyone else. Draft picks are cheap and hitting home runs in the draft over and over is just about the only way Dallas can make up this gap.

When you ask "what is going on right now" in Dallas, its all about the cap. Dallas "went for it" over the past few years and came up woefully short. The bills are now coming due for that.

https://www.the33rdteam.com/what-are-void-years-in-an-nfl-contract/
Article explaining void years.

 

[John813]

If Prescott leaves, he will cost $40m against the cap over several years

If Prescott leaves, it's 40mil all in 2025.

For Martin, his deal doesn't void till after the start of the 2025 season so his deal can be June 1st cut to spread out the dead cap over 2 years

 

[sunalsorises]

Plus Dallas has a lot of players who still need to be paid which is the trouble with hitting homeruns on draft picks.

 

[doomsday9084]

If Prescott leaves, it's 40mil all in 2025.

For Martin, his deal doesn't void till after the start of the 2025 season so his deal can be June 1st cut to spread out the dead cap over 2 years

Thanks. The post should have reflected that.

That leaves it at:
roughly $65m in dead cap in 2025 including $12m for Zack, $40m for Dak, $4m for cooks and $9m for Gallup
$12m in dead cap in 2026

If the players in question get extended, this would somewhat alleviate this issue.

 

[DuncanIso]

Dallas has actually gone pretty far in trying to spend more than the cap to keep its existing team together over the last few years. If the team was ever "all in" it was a few years ago when it was spending far more cash than the cap. They did so by rolling out contracts and spreading expenses over years after the player is due to leave. Other teams don't actually do this nearly as much. This is about to bite Dallas.

https://overthecap.com/player/dak-prescott/4848
If Prescott leaves, he will cost $40m against the cap over several years. Even if he stays, this $40m will get tacked on above his AAV for his next contract.

https://overthecap.com/player/zack-martin/2955
Possibly just as painful, Dallas spread Zack Martin's hit over many years after he leaves. He will cost $26M against the cap.

https://overthecap.com/player/demarcus-lawrence/2973
DLaw is $7m.

https://overthecap.com/player/brandin-cooks/2959
Cooks is $4m

I'll post some other teams:
https://overthecap.com/player/trevor-lawrence/9465
Trevor Lawrence's new deal has two years $21m after his deal.

https://overthecap.com/player/josh-allen/6892
Josh Allen has no void years

https://overthecap.com/player/patrick-mahomes/5594
Mahomes has two void years but at $0. KC basically gave themselves room to move money if they have to, but haven't pulled the trigger.

Getting back to Dallas, the whole "cap is a myth" thing is a myth. You can move money from year to year but the bill always comes due.
https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/dallas-cowboys
Right now, Dallas is due to pay $55m in void money next year while also taking $8.5m for Gallup. That's $63.5m less than what some other teams can spend against the cap. Competing in that environment is going to be extremely challenging. Its like starting a 100m dash 20m behind everyone else. Draft picks are cheap and hitting home runs in the draft over and over is just about the only way Dallas can make up this gap.

When you ask "what is going on right now" in Dallas, its all about the cap. Dallas "went for it" over the past few years and came up woefully short. The bills are now coming due for that.

https://www.the33rdteam.com/what-are-void-years-in-an-nfl-contract/
Article explaining void years.

Truth.

This is why our cap is currently jacked.

 

[FLWarpigrpig]

I call void years cap cancer for a reason.

 

[KingCorcoran]

Plus Dallas has a lot of players who still need to be paid which is the trouble with hitting homeruns on draft picks.

Yes, most teams hate when they draft well.

 

[KingCorcoran]

Truth.

This is why our cap is currently jacked.

Truth.

Cowboys ”cap is currently jacked” because Jerry Jones and the front office manage player compensation poorly.

 

[DuncanIso]

Truth.

Cowboys ”cap is currently jacked” because Jerry Jones and the front office manage player compensation poorly.

Dak has $100 million + in dead money.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Dak has $100 million + in dead money.

Where is that number coming from? I’m seeing $55m this year and $54m in the void years.

 

[KingCorcoran]

Dak has $100 million + in dead money.

How does Dak have it? The Cowboys ”dead money” is not his doing and he has no control over it. Cowboys sign their QB to a $40 million AAV deal and somehow manage to get themselves in cap difficulties while other teams sign their QB to significantly larger deals and manage to avoid the cap fiasco the Cowboys have created for themselves. Next you’ll want to pin the Kennedy assassination on Dak. He’s blamed for everything else.

 

[gtb1943]

How does Dak have it? The Cowboys ”dead money” is not his doing and he has no control over it. Cowboys sign their QB to a $40 million AAV deal and somehow manage to get themselves in cap difficulties while other teams sign their QB to significantly larger deals and manage to avoid the cap fiasco the Cowboys have created for themselves. Next you’ll want to pin the Kennedy assassination on Dak. He’s blamed for everything else.

Convenience.

 

[sunalsorises]

Yes, most teams hate when they draft well.

It’s a good problem to have but it is still a problem to then have to pay your good draft picks when it is time.

 

[charron]

Dallas is in fine cap shape after 2024.

2025 Nearly $65 million available
2026 projected $180 million available
2027 projected $254 million available

Most of the old veteran money is gone after this year and Dak isn't being cut so at worst he had a few voided years but that is already accounted for assuming no extension. The minute he gets the extension which I 10000% believe he will then we will see how they decide to layout the new contract. Plenty of money there to pay dak, CD, Diggs, and whomever else they want to pay.

 

[Creeper]

Dallas is in fine cap shape after 2024.

2025 Nearly $65 million available
2026 projected $180 million available
2027 projected $254 million available

Most of the old veteran money is gone after this year and Dak isn't being cut so at worst he had a few voided years but that is already accounted for assuming no extension. The minute he gets the extension which I 10000% believe he will then we will see how they decide to layout the new contract. Plenty of money there to pay dak, CD, Diggs, and whomever else they want to pay.

This is true if Dallas let's everyone leave, but you have to allow that they will not have a QB. This football thing is about winning football games, not which team has the most cap space.

The trick is to get the most talent to fit under the CAP as possible without putting the future of the team in jeopardy.

 

[charron]

This is true if Dallas let's everyone leave, but you have to allow that they will not have a QB. This football thing is about winning football games, not which team has the most cap space.

The trick is to get the most talent to fit under the CAP as possible without putting the future of the team in jeopardy.

No doubt. The point is there is plenty of money to pay these guys. Daks cap hit next year is 25, they could bump it to 40 and still have 50 million to spend. It's all about how they construct the big contracts. They are not broke, they want you to think they are but they are not.

 

[doomsday9084]

Dallas is in fine cap shape after 2024.

2025 Nearly $65 million available
2026 projected $180 million available
2027 projected $254 million available

Most of the old veteran money is gone after this year and Dak isn't being cut so at worst he had a few voided years but that is already accounted for assuming no extension. The minute he gets the extension which I 10000% believe he will then we will see how they decide to layout the new contract. Plenty of money there to pay dak, CD, Diggs, and whomever else they want to pay.

2026 it certainly opens up.

That said, that 2025 number is with no CD, Dak, Zack, Cooks, DLaw, etc. Its going to be tough to get there.

.........

As a side note to this, Trevor Lawrence's deal is interesting. If Dak took it, Dallas would be fine. Its effectively a 5 year, $138m contract with $21m dead money after.

 

[TwistedL0g1k]

Well said OP. No better example of bad contract decisions than Zeke. Elliott will count $6M in dead money against the 2024 cap from the contract he signed in 2019. Of course, this is in addition to his current deal with Dallas. I wonder if this has ever happened before in the history of the NFL? ( a team bringing back a player who left and played for another team, while still having dead money from the contract before the player left- essentially eating 2 contracts at once) Cutting edge stuff I tell ya....

 

[charron]

2026 it certainly opens up.

That said, that 2025 number is with no CD, Dak, Zack, Cooks, DLaw, etc. Its going to be tough to get there.

.........

As a side note to this, Trevor Lawrence's deal is interesting. If Dak took it, Dallas would be fine. Its effectively a 5 year, $138m contract with $21m dead money after.

Easy as pie bud. It's all about how they build the contracts. They can 100% push money to other years. Zack and Dlaw probably aren't coming back though it wouldn't be hard to fit them in too. Short of huge 1 year deals they can do what they want.

 

[DuncanIso]

How does Dak have it? The Cowboys ”dead money” is not his doing and he has no control over it. Cowboys sign their QB to a $40 million AAV deal and somehow manage to get themselves in cap difficulties while other teams sign their QB to significantly larger deals and manage to avoid the cap fiasco the Cowboys have created for themselves. Next you’ll want to pin the Kennedy assassination on Dak. He’s blamed for everything else.

2024 $55 mil
2025 $40 mil
2026 $12 mil

Thanks Dak.