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- Apr 7, 2013
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[h=1]By PATRIK WALKER Jun 28, 1:35 PM[/h]
Call the local funeral home, because it's time to bury a false narrative once and for all:
Yes, the Dallas Cowboys can afford to pay all of their stars and still have plenty of change left for other sugary treats.
For the first time in quite awhile, the club will have a sizable financial cushion to work with going into the offseason, with the league setting a new bar for 2019. For those who actually understand how this all financial rigmarole works, you already know there is no such thing as the mythical "salary cap hell", so to speak. Wise teams always find a way to make the cap work for them, be it with pay cuts, restructures, releases or the like. Building successfully through the NFL Draft also helps in a major way, with the goal being to land exceptional talent for pennies on the dollar — something the Cowboys have now become arguably the best in the league at doing.
That said, when it comes to salary cap space, it will always be "the more, the merrier".
This past spring, the NFL announced the new cap number will be $188.2 million.
For those who believe the cap is static, that's a 41.5% increase over the 2014 season — in a span that's seen the figures raise by more than a literal $10 million per team, per year.
What does this mean for the Cowboys, specifically?
Well, considering they also rolled over approximately $11.7 million in savings from 2018, it means they're available cap had a floor of around $50 million. That rollover was the highest of any NFC East team and the second-most in the conference, behind only the San Francisco 49ers, who enjoyed a boulderesque $35 million gained from the previous year. Though dwarfed by the Niners, that's a lot of scratch for a Cowboys' team that usually carries a much smaller cushion, and it all comes not a moment too soon. The 2019 space also included the expiration of nearly $17 million in dead money, stemming from the releases of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, helping to free up dollars for needed contract extensions and free agency signings — the latter now being much less of a need for 2019.
Currently sitting at nearly $19.5 million in space ahead of 2019 training camp, any unused amount will attach itself to what is already a projected $75 million in cap space for 2020, pushing the number that much higher. That lends to a massive number barreling down the pike, and yet it's before factoring in contracts that will expire and not be renewed, general roster cuts, any retirements, possible restructures of existing deals and potential pay cuts, and it includes the elimination of $4.27 million in expiring dead money from the contracts on Terrance Williams, Charles Tapper and Orlando Scandrick.
Mathematically speaking, the Cowboys can wave their collective hand and very easily enter the 2020 league year with over $100 million in cap space.
Cap hell? Hmmm.
Here's how much cap space the Cowboys had going into each season since the turn of the decade:
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what "cap hell" looks like.
Even then, the Cowboys found ways to finagle things, but it ultimately came back to bite them time and again when you consider that restructuring a contract simply pushes back payment and doesn't actually delete it. They were constantly patching leaks in the dam, but it's not until 2019 that construction on the new dam was completed, and the water it will allow them to hold for the next half-decade or more is like something they've never seen before. Any attempts to undermine this reality with casual, sweeping and wholly incorrect takes that simply breeze past the numbers for the sake of pushing a narrative is more akin to some type of "salary cap PTSD", than it is actual analysis.
But wait, there's more for you to chew on, assuming your jaw is strong enough.
Much like the contract on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $105 million extension in April, the Cowboys can actually gain cap space by extending wide receiver Amari Cooper this year. Approximately $10 million in 2019 was gained by moving on Lawrence, and a new deal for Cooper could and likely will be worked in a way that cuts a chunk out of his current $13.9 million cap hit for this year. In looking to grant quarterback Dak Prescott a new deal as well, the savings from Cooper become a mathematical wash as its carried over to Prescott's bank account — i.e., re-signing Cooper helps to reduce the impact of re-signing Prescott.
As far as running back Ezekiel Elliott goes, there was never a plan in place to extend him in 2019, and reports that say otherwise are grasping at straws on slow news days. Fact is, both Elliott and the Cowboys remain on the same page in that he will be priority No. 1 in 2020, just ahead of his fifth-year option (now exercised). This plan has nothing to do with his value to the team, which is what many would have you believe, but it's instead because of the chronology of contract expirations.
Simply put, Prescott and Cooper are not under contract in 2020, but Elliott is. That, in and of itself, explains the wait for the two-time NFL rushing champ.
So why are you being sold a bill of goods regarding Elliott?
Clicks. Headlines. Ratings.
You know the drill.
Now, as far as star players go, they're not all created equally. There are Tier-A talents like the four mentioned above, and there are Tier-B guys who are still malleable in a financial capacity. One such person is cornerback Byron Jones, who doesn't carry a ton of leverage thanks to the Cowboys nearly flexing him into oblivion over the course of his first three NFL seasons. It wasn't until passing game coordinator and Legion of Boom engineer Kris Richard landed in North Texas that Jones was moved to corner full-time, and he became one of the best in the league en route to landing his first ever pro bowl and All-Pro nods.
That's enough to warrant an extension, yes, but nothing that will cause him to reset the market.
If the Cowboys can get Jones an extension before 2020, he'll likely be a $10 million per year player. In similar fashion, linebacker Jaylon Smith is another Tier-B player for 2019 that will ascend to Tier-A in the next few months, hampered early in his career by the knee injury that nearly ended his football career as he exited Notre Dame. Smith had a breakout season of his own in 2018, and a source confirmed to me this past spring the Cowboys have begun talks with him, and that makes perfect sense — because it's likely he also takes another huge step forward this coming season. And then there's right tackle La'El Collins, who won't command Tier-A money from the Cowboys — given their newfound depth and youth on the offensive line — now or later.
Also, don't forget, even if Jones and Smith don't sign in 2019 and time up with re-signing Elliott, the Cowboys can still afford the market prices at that time.
Sensing a theme yet?
For perspective, lets now add the current cap space figure and the 2020 projection to the previous list of cap space figures from earlier, for visual impact:
Granted, new (re-)signings will impact how close or far to the 2020 savings ceiling the Cowboys will truly get, but even if they have "only" $40 million in space left after securing Lawrence, Prescott, Cooper, Elliott and Jones — they'd still have $10M more than the most they've had since 2010. That's more than enough to pay satellite talent, and to acquire free agents they deem worthy of paying. When considering the team rarely plays in the first round of NFL free agency anyway, we're talking about value deals landed in the second and third wave that help the team but don't carry headlines.
Take a glimpse back at what they did this past March and you'll catch my drift.
There's also irony in the fact that the looming extensions the uninformed and self-proclaimed "cap specialists" are arguing over, will be bargains just two years after they're signed.
In dissecting the current and future cap numbers, the roster and subsequent attrition +/- additions, willing team-friendly deals from veterans (ex: Jason Witten, Sean Lee, etc.), how the Cowboys conduct spring business and market values on respective players — it's as laughable as it is odd to still hear the PTSD-style narrative of "cap hell" as it relates to Dallas.
1COMMENTS
If anything, they're standing at the pearly gates with a cloud in each hand, about to make it rain.
Call the local funeral home, because it's time to bury a false narrative once and for all:
Yes, the Dallas Cowboys can afford to pay all of their stars and still have plenty of change left for other sugary treats.
For the first time in quite awhile, the club will have a sizable financial cushion to work with going into the offseason, with the league setting a new bar for 2019. For those who actually understand how this all financial rigmarole works, you already know there is no such thing as the mythical "salary cap hell", so to speak. Wise teams always find a way to make the cap work for them, be it with pay cuts, restructures, releases or the like. Building successfully through the NFL Draft also helps in a major way, with the goal being to land exceptional talent for pennies on the dollar — something the Cowboys have now become arguably the best in the league at doing.
That said, when it comes to salary cap space, it will always be "the more, the merrier".
This past spring, the NFL announced the new cap number will be $188.2 million.
For those who believe the cap is static, that's a 41.5% increase over the 2014 season — in a span that's seen the figures raise by more than a literal $10 million per team, per year.
What does this mean for the Cowboys, specifically?
Well, considering they also rolled over approximately $11.7 million in savings from 2018, it means they're available cap had a floor of around $50 million. That rollover was the highest of any NFC East team and the second-most in the conference, behind only the San Francisco 49ers, who enjoyed a boulderesque $35 million gained from the previous year. Though dwarfed by the Niners, that's a lot of scratch for a Cowboys' team that usually carries a much smaller cushion, and it all comes not a moment too soon. The 2019 space also included the expiration of nearly $17 million in dead money, stemming from the releases of Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, helping to free up dollars for needed contract extensions and free agency signings — the latter now being much less of a need for 2019.
Currently sitting at nearly $19.5 million in space ahead of 2019 training camp, any unused amount will attach itself to what is already a projected $75 million in cap space for 2020, pushing the number that much higher. That lends to a massive number barreling down the pike, and yet it's before factoring in contracts that will expire and not be renewed, general roster cuts, any retirements, possible restructures of existing deals and potential pay cuts, and it includes the elimination of $4.27 million in expiring dead money from the contracts on Terrance Williams, Charles Tapper and Orlando Scandrick.
Mathematically speaking, the Cowboys can wave their collective hand and very easily enter the 2020 league year with over $100 million in cap space.
Cap hell? Hmmm.
Here's how much cap space the Cowboys had going into each season since the turn of the decade:
2011: $30M
2012: -$9M (OVER)*
2013: $3M
2014: $4M
2015: $10M
2016: $6M
2017: $9M
2018: $11M
*docked $10M as an NFL penalty for front-loading contracts during uncapped 2010 season
__2012: -$9M (OVER)*
2013: $3M
2014: $4M
2015: $10M
2016: $6M
2017: $9M
2018: $11M
*docked $10M as an NFL penalty for front-loading contracts during uncapped 2010 season
That, ladies and gentlemen, is what "cap hell" looks like.
Even then, the Cowboys found ways to finagle things, but it ultimately came back to bite them time and again when you consider that restructuring a contract simply pushes back payment and doesn't actually delete it. They were constantly patching leaks in the dam, but it's not until 2019 that construction on the new dam was completed, and the water it will allow them to hold for the next half-decade or more is like something they've never seen before. Any attempts to undermine this reality with casual, sweeping and wholly incorrect takes that simply breeze past the numbers for the sake of pushing a narrative is more akin to some type of "salary cap PTSD", than it is actual analysis.
But wait, there's more for you to chew on, assuming your jaw is strong enough.
Much like the contract on defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, who signed a five-year, $105 million extension in April, the Cowboys can actually gain cap space by extending wide receiver Amari Cooper this year. Approximately $10 million in 2019 was gained by moving on Lawrence, and a new deal for Cooper could and likely will be worked in a way that cuts a chunk out of his current $13.9 million cap hit for this year. In looking to grant quarterback Dak Prescott a new deal as well, the savings from Cooper become a mathematical wash as its carried over to Prescott's bank account — i.e., re-signing Cooper helps to reduce the impact of re-signing Prescott.
As far as running back Ezekiel Elliott goes, there was never a plan in place to extend him in 2019, and reports that say otherwise are grasping at straws on slow news days. Fact is, both Elliott and the Cowboys remain on the same page in that he will be priority No. 1 in 2020, just ahead of his fifth-year option (now exercised). This plan has nothing to do with his value to the team, which is what many would have you believe, but it's instead because of the chronology of contract expirations.
Simply put, Prescott and Cooper are not under contract in 2020, but Elliott is. That, in and of itself, explains the wait for the two-time NFL rushing champ.
So why are you being sold a bill of goods regarding Elliott?
Clicks. Headlines. Ratings.
You know the drill.
Now, as far as star players go, they're not all created equally. There are Tier-A talents like the four mentioned above, and there are Tier-B guys who are still malleable in a financial capacity. One such person is cornerback Byron Jones, who doesn't carry a ton of leverage thanks to the Cowboys nearly flexing him into oblivion over the course of his first three NFL seasons. It wasn't until passing game coordinator and Legion of Boom engineer Kris Richard landed in North Texas that Jones was moved to corner full-time, and he became one of the best in the league en route to landing his first ever pro bowl and All-Pro nods.
That's enough to warrant an extension, yes, but nothing that will cause him to reset the market.
If the Cowboys can get Jones an extension before 2020, he'll likely be a $10 million per year player. In similar fashion, linebacker Jaylon Smith is another Tier-B player for 2019 that will ascend to Tier-A in the next few months, hampered early in his career by the knee injury that nearly ended his football career as he exited Notre Dame. Smith had a breakout season of his own in 2018, and a source confirmed to me this past spring the Cowboys have begun talks with him, and that makes perfect sense — because it's likely he also takes another huge step forward this coming season. And then there's right tackle La'El Collins, who won't command Tier-A money from the Cowboys — given their newfound depth and youth on the offensive line — now or later.
Also, don't forget, even if Jones and Smith don't sign in 2019 and time up with re-signing Elliott, the Cowboys can still afford the market prices at that time.
Sensing a theme yet?
For perspective, lets now add the current cap space figure and the 2020 projection to the previous list of cap space figures from earlier, for visual impact:
2011: $30M
2012: -$9M (OVER)*
2013: $3M
2014: $4M
2015: $10M
2016: $6M
2017: $9M
2018: $11M
2019: $19.5M (Current)
2020: $85M - $100M+ (Projected)
__2012: -$9M (OVER)*
2013: $3M
2014: $4M
2015: $10M
2016: $6M
2017: $9M
2018: $11M
2019: $19.5M (Current)
2020: $85M - $100M+ (Projected)
Granted, new (re-)signings will impact how close or far to the 2020 savings ceiling the Cowboys will truly get, but even if they have "only" $40 million in space left after securing Lawrence, Prescott, Cooper, Elliott and Jones — they'd still have $10M more than the most they've had since 2010. That's more than enough to pay satellite talent, and to acquire free agents they deem worthy of paying. When considering the team rarely plays in the first round of NFL free agency anyway, we're talking about value deals landed in the second and third wave that help the team but don't carry headlines.
Take a glimpse back at what they did this past March and you'll catch my drift.
There's also irony in the fact that the looming extensions the uninformed and self-proclaimed "cap specialists" are arguing over, will be bargains just two years after they're signed.
In dissecting the current and future cap numbers, the roster and subsequent attrition +/- additions, willing team-friendly deals from veterans (ex: Jason Witten, Sean Lee, etc.), how the Cowboys conduct spring business and market values on respective players — it's as laughable as it is odd to still hear the PTSD-style narrative of "cap hell" as it relates to Dallas.
1COMMENTS
If anything, they're standing at the pearly gates with a cloud in each hand, about to make it rain.