Why are we still in salary cap hell?

[NorthwestDallas40]

We have under $500k in dead money.

Even if we eat all of Romo's proration it is going to be easy to get $20m in space this year by restructuring 88, 72, and 77; IOW all guys in their prime. Lee is about to turn 30 so we should not risk extending him unless we need to.

We would have $50m still in space for 2018 after doing only those 3 restructures which means we can frontload contracts if we want to make a splash this season.

Having your franchise QB playing for less than $500k is a recipe for cap success. We should be able to extend 70 and sign free agents to shore up the pass rush and receiving corps.

I hope you are right. I posted elsewhere that we have a 3 year window to spend now for a Super Bowl run before we have to pay Dak and then Zeke. We should really be as aggressive as ever this year and next and front load the contracts.

 

[Verdict]

The team has decided to not be big spenders, as a general rule, in free agency. In the right situation they will pony up. For instance they gave Hardy 13m on a 1 year deal. Even then they were smart about the structure.

We should be thankful for this approach.

Yes, they have decided not to be big spenders. But it is also clear that they do not really have the cap space to be a significant player in free agency. That is reality.

 

[xwalker]

For the lack of recent big free agent acquisitions, how is it that we still have no money to spend in free agency? Is it just the Romo, T smith, and Dez contracts? Anyone know?

They don't have cap problems.

If they had structured contracts in a way that gives them more cap space now, it would have cost them more real dollars. They wait to restructure contracts when they need the space because restructuring costs more in real dollars. They are running a business and don't want to spend more real dollars than is necessary.

 

[Stash]

If they can do "whatever they want" with the cap, why is it a virtual guarantee that Ron Leary is leaving?

The 'facts' don't add up.

 

[Nightman]

I hope you are right. I posted elsewhere that we have a 3 year window to spend now for a Super Bowl run before we have to pay Dak and then Zeke. We should really be as aggressive as ever this year and next and front load the contracts.

Think of it this way
DAL can be 50m under the cap with 5 restructures and a handful of cuts(Romo, Free, Hanna, Wilber, AMorris)..........35m from restructures and 25m from cuts

But do we even need that much space to sign 4-7 of our own guys?- Mo, Wlicox, Carr, DMC, Butler, McClain

Sign 4-5 UFAs- Berry/SS, WR3, CB4, DE3

6-8 Draft picks need about 5m

If we want to splurge on Leary or CJones or JPP we can just activate some space....if not we go the comp picks route and take the cap hits this......either way we are 50m under next year without Romo

So we can borrow some this year from 2018-2020 or we can keep draft building and be 50-60m next year

 

[Nightman]

If they can do "whatever they want" with the cap, why is it a virtual guarantee that Ron Leary is leaving?

The 'facts' don't add up.

We can easily afford Leary........it is a question of asset allocation, not cap space

Collins for 700k or Leary for 6-8m for same production

 

[Bigdog]

Patriots are at 104 million in contracts. They got like 70 million in space before the cap goes up another 10. But they don't pay much for anything. Wide receivers....nope. O line.....nope. Running backs...nope.

I wonder if Bill is getting a cut of the salary cap savings. Like 10%




As far as the Cowboys...we are good! We got the space to make things happen

Yeah and their qb is paid peanuts compare to the rest of the league qbs. There are 6 qbs that make more money than he does and they only have 1 Super Bowl combine among them.

 

[AsthmaField]

We are not. Despite the prevailing narrative that we have no money to spend.

Our salary cap position is very comfortable and will get more so with the release/trade of Romo.

Truth

 

[big dog cowboy]

Why are we still in salary cap hell?

Whoa when did this happen?

 

[skinsscalper]

Based on current numbers, without restructured, we are right up against the cap. Whereas many other teams are wrll under it. While I know we can restructure and release, I still consider it salary cap hell because we cannot make a big signing without a lot of machinations.

You're failing to keep in mind that our big FA signings are of our own players. We sign just as many FA players as any other team. We just choose to re-sign our own guys rather than gamble on the unknown and overpaid.

Now, some could argue with whether or not that's smart money or not but it's not like this team sits on it's hands when FA rolls around.

I always kind of giggle at the notion that we're gonna be better if we sign someone else' player (problem). I remember posters around here screaming that we should bite the bullet and pay whatever it took to sign Suh. Yeah. That's worked out so well for Miami. Exact same scenario for Mario Edwards last year. Another turd of a signing. Remember when Jerry was an idiot for not doing everything possible to acquire the great Jarius Byrd? Tom Benson would lick Jerry's taint right now to pick up that disaster of a contract.

That's not to say that teams shouldn't dip into the FA market but the failures in in FA for outweigh the success stories. When you fail in the draft, you tee it up again next year and give it another swing. When you fail in FA you're eating as Brinks truck of gold in dead money or a dud player. I want to improve this team as much as the next guy but people need to be careful what they're asking for.

 

[skinsscalper]

If they can do "whatever they want" with the cap, why is it a virtual guarantee that Ron Leary is leaving?

The 'facts' don't add up.

How much money do you want to tie up on the O-line with a laundry list of needs on the D, stash?

Don't get me wrong, if it were up to me I'd keep Leary (and rape another team for the rights to Collins). But the original question still stands.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Forgot about cutting Free.

You do all the moves I mentioned, restructure Smith, Frederick, and Sean Lee and then you're looking at 32 million under the cap this year and an estimated 83 million next year, which would go up with cutting Scandrick that year.

This allows you to re-sign Martin with ease.

Yep, no sense cutting Scandrick... no money saved.

 

[TheCount]

Cowboy never want, or need, to be under the cap because Jerry doesn't care and the team is insanely profitable.

A lot of the teams you see carrying large caps over year to year are in smaller markets. The money they save on the cap let's the team exist in such a small market. If they were up against the cap every year, the team would go bankrupt.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

How much money do you want to tie up on the O-line with a laundry list of needs on the D, stash?

Don't get me wrong, if it were up to me I'd keep Leary (and rape another team for the rights to Collins). But the original question still stands.

Yep. And if Collins isn't a factor at OT then when keep (and pay) Leary huge money to be a back-up?

Obviously you're not.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

If they can do "whatever they want" with the cap, why is it a virtual guarantee that Ron Leary is leaving?

The 'facts' don't add up.

Because of the breakdown on spending for offense and defense as opposed to the total cap. With the contract for 72 coming up you are going to be spending over $60m on the OL if you sign Leary to what his market deal is likely to be given that 72 will deserve to be a top paid OG. Leary is going to demand $10m.

You cannot have a third of your cap in one position group. As it is without Romo we are still spending 3 times as much on offense as we do on defense.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Yes, they have decided not to be big spenders. But it is also clear that they do not really have the cap space to be a significant player in free agency. That is reality.

This is fake news.

 

[Nightman]

You're failing to keep in mind that our big FA signings are of our own players. We sign just as many FA players as any other team. We just choose to re-sign our own guys rather than gamble on the unknown and overpaid.

Now, some could argue with whether or not that's smart money or not but it's not like this team sits on it's hands when FA rolls around.

I always kind of giggle at the notion that we're gonna be better if we sign someone else' player (problem). I remember posters around here screaming that we should bite the bullet and pay whatever it took to sign Suh. Yeah. That's worked out so well for Miami. Exact same scenario for Mario Edwards last year. Another turd of a signing. Remember when Jerry was an idiot for not doing everything possible to acquire the great Jarius Byrd? Tom Benson would lick Jerry's taint right now to pick up that disaster of a contract.

That's not to say that teams shouldn't dip into the FA market but the failures in in FA for outweigh the success stories. When you fail in the draft, you tee it up again next year and give it another swing. When you fail in FA you're eating as Brinks truck of gold in dead money or a dud player. I want to improve this team as much as the next guy but people need to be careful what they're asking for.

I still would take Suh over TCrawford but your overall point is valid

Next year will be the first year we start with significant cap space....25-30m under

 

[NorthwestDallas40]

You're failing to keep in mind that our big FA signings are of our own players. We sign just as many FA players as any other team. We just choose to re-sign our own guys rather than gamble on the unknown and overpaid.

Now, some could argue with whether or not that's smart money or not but it's not like this team sits on it's hands when FA rolls around.

I always kind of giggle at the notion that we're gonna be better if we sign someone else' player (problem). I remember posters around here screaming that we should bite the bullet and pay whatever it took to sign Suh. Yeah. That's worked out so well for Miami. Exact same scenario for Mario Edwards last year. Another turd of a signing. Remember when Jerry was an idiot for not doing everything possible to acquire the great Jarius Byrd? Tom Benson would lick Jerry's taint right now to pick up that disaster of a contract.

That's not to say that teams shouldn't dip into the FA market but the failures in in FA for outweigh the success stories. When you fail in the draft, you tee it up again next year and give it another swing. When you fail in FA you're eating as Brinks truck of gold in dead money or a dud player. I want to improve this team as much as the next guy but people need to be careful what they're asking for.

I hear ya. But I keep going back to the fact that we are in a unique position, much like Seattle was when Russell Wilson was on his rookie contract, of having a franchise QB (and a franchise RB) on an exceedingly cheap rookie contract. We should be taking a swing within this 3 to 4-year window and signing guys like Suh. We are not going to consistently find defensive difference-makers picking at #28 in the draft. Especially not ones that are going to be difference-makers as pass rushers or cover corners in their rookie year. I just don't know if our salary cap position allows us to be big players, even if we wanted to.

 

[Nightman]

I hear ya. But I keep going back to the fact that we are in a unique position, much like Seattle was when Russell Wilson was on his rookie contract, of having a franchise QB (and a franchise RB) on an exceedingly cheap rookie contract. We should be taking a swing within this 3 to 4-year window and signing guys like Suh. We are not going to consistently find defensive difference-makers picking at #28 in the draft. Especially not ones that are going to be difference-makers as pass rushers or cover corners in their rookie year. I just don't know if our salary cap position allows us to be big players, even if we wanted to.

I don't agree with your window theory at all.......this is just the beginning

The Dak/Zeke era will be long and fruitful

 

[Bluefin]

I posted elsewhere that we have a 3 year window to spend now for a Super Bowl run before we have to pay Dak and then Zeke.

The window doesn't close following the end of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott's rookie contracts.

Dallas almost always designs their big contracts to be restructured multiple times.

DeMarcus Ware and Tony Romo's deals were re-done almost every year during their primes.

The only big extension the team hasn't done it with to date is Dez Bryant.

Dak and Zeke will not generate enormous cap hits until they are well into their second contracts, like years seven or eight, and they could still be restructured if the need arose.

There's no need to worry about the salary cap.

The concern is finding better players to upgrade the weaknesses on the roster.