What if it is the rope-a-dope?

[Blackrain]

I would love to rope that dope.

There's two dopes and they have just enough rope to hang our upcoming season out to dry

 

[buybuydandavis]

I love you!!!!!! I"ve had those thoughts in the back of my mind, what if the deal is already done, what if Jerry is just playing around with us and really wants to keep Dak for the long haul. He's just doing all this for what? Only to sign him long term, if so it's stupid as hell

If the deal is already done, every day we don't sign it only limits our free agent cap in the meantime.
I don't see the advantage to limiting our free agent options to Dak or management.

This is the prime reason I think Dak won't be here in 2025. They're telegraphing that they're fine with not winning this year. But why do that if you think Dak is The Guy? Why waste a year of The Guy?

 

[Coogiguy03]

If the deal is already done, every day we don't sign it only limits our free agent cap in the meantime.
I don't see the advantage to limiting our free agent options to Dak or management.

This is the prime reason I think Dak won't be here in 2025. They're telegraphing that they're fine with not winning this year. But why do that if you think Dak is The Guy? Why waste a year of The Guy?

Very very true

 

[Ring6]

It is maddening to try and figure out the logic of what the Cowboys front office is doing this year.
They are not relying totally on past form nor are they really merging into new "All-In" lanes.
They say they are simply willing to play out the season, pay Dak 55M this year on the cap and 40M next year to hit unrestricted free agency.
--at which point he becomes the most expensive NFL property to hit free agency in history. DAL gets an R3 comp pick in 2026.
So how does this make any sense?

They'd surely be better off paying Dak a super-premium 60M but removing trade restrictions. Right?
They'd be better off asking his agent if they could find a team NOW to trade for an R1 right? Dak gets his extension, picks his team, DAL gets an R1 now to pick one of the 5 R1 rated QBs this year and clears 25M in cap space.

So what else could it be?

Well what if it is just Jerry poker and Jerry lies?
What if they are going to extend Dak and all sides know it?
They have the deal basically worked out.
Then they would know how much cap cash they will have in a month?
And a week after the draft they could announce signings with no cost to the comp pool Stephen holds dear.
They could then have agreements already with agents/players right?

Say, if Connor Williams doesn't get a deal for more than 30M over 3 years he agrees he will sign in Dallas and moves back home.
What if Calais Campbell wants to finish on a good team and sees Zimmer as the kind of coach he can work with?
What if Donovan Smith has talked to MM about providing LT cover.
What if Zeke knows the deal with Dak and is content to simply retire in Dallas as the short yardage and blocking back realizing there are no big pay days left? .
What if OBJ has been basically ignoring people because he wants to finally tag along on the Cowboys bandwagon as that playoff playmaker?

This team could go from dead in water to loaded for a title run still.

It won't but it could.
And maybe it should.

I sometimes think like this, like something very well thought out is in place, planned to fire at a strategic point in time like you say in this case, past the comp pick formula date, which would make sense if all parties could keep a lid on it.

 

[jterrell]

Thanks for all the comments.

I occasionally write something like this and let it breathe.
This reached 3 pages without a single reply from me, so I sincerely appreciate the support.
But I didn't want to lay out on you forever.


When I let a post breathe, it is often because we can't know yet the outcome and are just debating opinions.
As that is the case here, I'll wait with all of you as we see if they actually have any plan or if they are as clueless as they seem to be.
I hope the OP is clear that I think the latter is far more likely the case and it is just internal strife where Stephen hates to spend any money much less pay Dak 60M per year and Jerry is like we can just squeeze other guys with no power to get that Dak lick back son; don't worry.
.

 

[blueblood70]

Lots of hypotheticals here......................who knows what Jerry has planned, this entire offseason has made no sense at all.

Wow the whole 16 days into a six month process doesn't make sense to you probably because they haven't had a chance to put the roster on the field yet what's not made sense is the fact that fans don't understand we're only truly 16 days in that's barely two weeks six months before game one with lots of free agents left we have the draft we have undrafted free agents we have trades there's a lot of time for it to make more sense once fans stopped talking about how they've done nothing they have brought in a linebacker they have signed a couple of their players and I'm sure they have a plan and it's all gonna happen after the draft.. No team is ready for game one right now not one...

 

[jterrell]

If the deal is already done, every day we don't sign it only limits our free agent cap in the meantime.
I don't see the advantage to limiting our free agent options to Dak or management.

This is the prime reason I think Dak won't be here in 2025. They're telegraphing that they're fine with not winning this year. But why do that if you think Dak is The Guy? Why waste a year of The Guy?

The theory here is that they "are not" wasting a year. That they could be evil geniuses with a plan that involves ALREADY having these agreements in place and just waiting to announce them
Not for insane top line guys but the market has died off and it is quiet.
And there are quality vets, especially older ones out there.
I mean we have seen them do so this before, right?
Wait until the comp formula date passes to sign guys?
If teams can have guys agreed two weeks before free agency opens why couldn't Dallas have an agreement now to be announced a week after the draft.

All that said, again; this is one way it COULD be done and NOT LIKELY what they have done.

I believe it more likely they are just uncertain and can't agree internally and wasting time.

BUT I spent hours trying to find a possible way this made sense.
And this would.

Extend Dak day after the draft ends.
Make new deals for CeeDee and Micah over the next 48 hours after that.
Have a stream of 5-7 vet FA's on here and sign them 7 days after the draft ends when the formula no longer counts them against you.

Benefits: You don't spend any early FA money which Stephen hates more than he'd hate prison.
You build draft first with vets to fill 1–2-year roles.
You don't rebuild which I still don't think Jerry can stomach at his age.
You get 3-4 comp picks again next year. say a 4, 5 two 6's.
If Stephen hates Dak he can trade him off later while on a longer-term deal.

 

[jterrell]

you think that’s loaded?
First off, no that doesn’t happen in the NFL the way you laid it out. On the players, I like Campbell, but he will be 38 by the start of the season. Connor Williams is OK. The rest are backups. That doesn’t even get us back to where we were last year, let alone make us loaded for a title run.

Very true!

But Calais is replacing Dante Fowler not Micah or DLaw. They also lost Dorance but that spot is going to Sam Williams.
Connor was rate higher at OC than Tyler. The second-best OC in the league last year by PFF.

They also get back a Pro Bowl starter in Diggs, a likely TE2 in John Paul Stephens and a promising LB in Overshown.

To be clear I am not suggesting they are building through free agency.
These are stop gap and cover guys they need to fill out a roster.

 

[links18]

It is maddening to try and figure out the logic of what the Cowboys front office is doing this year.
They are not relying totally on past form nor are they really merging into new "All-In" lanes.
They say they are simply willing to play out the season, pay Dak 55M this year on the cap and 40M next year to hit unrestricted free agency.
--at which point he becomes the most expensive NFL property to hit free agency in history. DAL gets an R3 comp pick in 2026.
So how does this make any sense?

They'd surely be better off paying Dak a super-premium 60M but removing trade restrictions. Right?
They'd be better off asking his agent if they could find a team NOW to trade for an R1 right? Dak gets his extension, picks his team, DAL gets an R1 now to pick one of the 5 R1 rated QBs this year and clears 25M in cap space.

So what else could it be?

Well what if it is just Jerry poker and Jerry lies?
What if they are going to extend Dak and all sides know it?
They have the deal basically worked out.
Then they would know how much cap cash they will have in a month?
And a week after the draft they could announce signings with no cost to the comp pool Stephen holds dear.
They could then have agreements already with agents/players right?

Say, if Connor Williams doesn't get a deal for more than 30M over 3 years he agrees he will sign in Dallas and moves back home.
What if Calais Campbell wants to finish on a good team and sees Zimmer as the kind of coach he can work with?
What if Donovan Smith has talked to MM about providing LT cover.
What if Zeke knows the deal with Dak and is content to simply retire in Dallas as the short yardage and blocking back realizing there are no big pay days left? .
What if OBJ has been basically ignoring people because he wants to finally tag along on the Cowboys bandwagon as that playoff playmaker?

This team could go from dead in water to loaded for a title run still.

It won't but it could.
And maybe it should.

You give these morons too much credit.

 

[phildadon86]

It is maddening to try and figure out the logic of what the Cowboys front office is doing this year.
They are not relying totally on past form nor are they really merging into new "All-In" lanes.
They say they are simply willing to play out the season, pay Dak 55M this year on the cap and 40M next year to hit unrestricted free agency.
--at which point he becomes the most expensive NFL property to hit free agency in history. DAL gets an R3 comp pick in 2026.
So how does this make any sense?

They'd surely be better off paying Dak a super-premium 60M but removing trade restrictions. Right?
They'd be better off asking his agent if they could find a team NOW to trade for an R1 right? Dak gets his extension, picks his team, DAL gets an R1 now to pick one of the 5 R1 rated QBs this year and clears 25M in cap space.

So what else could it be?

Well what if it is just Jerry poker and Jerry lies?
What if they are going to extend Dak and all sides know it?
They have the deal basically worked out.
Then they would know how much cap cash they will have in a month?
And a week after the draft they could announce signings with no cost to the comp pool Stephen holds dear.
They could then have agreements already with agents/players right?

Say, if Connor Williams doesn't get a deal for more than 30M over 3 years he agrees he will sign in Dallas and moves back home.
What if Calais Campbell wants to finish on a good team and sees Zimmer as the kind of coach he can work with?
What if Donovan Smith has talked to MM about providing LT cover.
What if Zeke knows the deal with Dak and is content to simply retire in Dallas as the short yardage and blocking back realizing there are no big pay days left? .
What if OBJ has been basically ignoring people because he wants to finally tag along on the Cowboys bandwagon as that playoff playmaker?

This team could go from dead in water to loaded for a title run still.

It won't but it could.
And maybe it should.

If Jerry waited until after FA to get a deal done with Dak that is the worst case scenario. No FA spending due to no funds, to then get a lot of funds after FA that there arent any high ticket FA's to get.

 

[CCBoy]

This well could be the planned direction for this year's running back positional group;

If the Cowboys intend on bringing in one more free agent running back while also using a draft pick on the position, that puts Vaughn in a poor situation to receive any touches again next season. Instead of bringing in an aging veteran at the position, the Cowboys would be wise to solely draft a player and go into the season with Dowdle, a rookie, and Vaughn as their primary backfield.

https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/202...-draft-free-agent-ezekiel-elliott-dalvin-cook

 

[KingCorcoran]

Wow the whole 16 days into a six month process doesn't make sense to you probably because they haven't had a chance to put the roster on the field yet what's not made sense is the fact that fans don't understand we're only truly 16 days in that's barely two weeks six months before game one with lots of free agents left we have the draft we have undrafted free agents we have trades there's a lot of time for it to make more sense once fans stopped talking about how they've done nothing they have brought in a linebacker they have signed a couple of their players and I'm sure they have a plan and it's all gonna happen after the draft.. No team is ready for game one right now not one...

Every team is in the same situation you describe. Some however have been more active. The reason for the flurry of activity signing free agents early in the process is because that’s when the most choices are available. The Cowboys did not aggressively participate early in the process. That is not an advantage. Now all teams assess their roster position and prepare for the draft. After the draft, all teams will again consider free agents for what they feel they did not accomplish in the draft. The Cowboys chose not to sign many FAs. Lost a number of their own FAs. And have comparably fewer draft picks than other teams in the upcoming draft. That is not an advantage. It is a curious approach to roster building. If fans are concerned it is certainly warranted. All the free agents and UDFAs that will be available in the next six months are available to the other 31 teams, as well.

 

[DandyDon52]

they have plans for 2025 and one phase of that is not pushing any more money forward and having 1 year contracts, so they have
a ton of money to spend, and then they go all in for real!
They dont care about 2024, they will try to build the best team possible, for the lowest amount, and only 1 year deals.

 

[Sarge]

“We’re goin’ as far as Dak takes us”. . . . . .was the quote.

 

[Captain-Crash]

hum rope a dope, so Jerry is getting pounded for 30 years and in a few more decades he will start putting up a fight. I like it.

 

[CyberB0b]

Yeah, the octogenarian is playing 4d chess with everyone, for unknown reasons. Maybe you need a few more bong rips to figure out the mystery, Shaggy.

 

[khiladi]

 

[khiladi]

On a serious note, everybody is reporting that no contract talks have even begun.

There is still time for sides to figure things out, and owner Jerry Jones doesn't seem to be sweating the future, saying Tuesday, "We are where we are. We have our contract. We're locked and loaded for this year, and we can see as we move along how we are thinking."

This was the last statement as far as I know on the subject by Jerry.

https://www.nfl.com/news/cowboys-qb...d-to-play-on-current-contract-for-2024-season

Jerry also isn’t talking with Dak about “long term” plans.

"I'm excited to see it, honestly," Prescott said. "I don't know. I can't say I've had talks with him about what is all-in and how he plans on making those moves, but, yeah, let's see and I'm excited for it."

https://amp.foxsports.com/stories/n...tract-situation-with-cowboys-will-be-resolved

 

[glimmerman]

I do think they already have a basic deal worked out with Dak. JJ believes in him. We saw nothing from Lance. Maybe in preseason. But I don’t think Lance is the guy.

 

[jterrell]

If you are going to post some inane response ignoring the number of times I have stated this isn't AT ALL likely but merely a possibility that makes more sense than what we are getting at face value I am simply going to place you ignore.
That rest would be a waste of breath and my typing.