Re-Signing Free Agents, a Zero Sum Game for the Cowboys
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys have a well-documented litany of free agents they would like to re-sign this offseason. There are, of course, the obvious free agents like Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray. But then there are also the defensive playmakers, Bruce Carter and Rolando McClain. There are the elder statesmen, Doug Free and Anthony Spencer. And even a soon-to-be free agent cornerstone player, Tyrone Crawford. All of these players have value and all would be important pieces on contending team like the Cowboys, but alas they all cannot…
The NFL salary cap all but assures it won’t happen. In the NFL, the salary cap is real. It’s an impenetrable ceiling on annual spending. It is something that must be considered in the short term, as well as the long term, because the sins of today will make you burn tomorrow. Dallas Cowboys’ fans know this lesson all too well, yet some still struggle to grasp what must be done.
(insert ominous music)
The NFL is a perfect example of “A Zero Sum Game”. Because of the salary cap, there is a very finite amount of cash to go around. All must abide by the NFL’s cap on spending. If you wish to pay one man, it must come from somewhere else.
"In other words, you have to rob Peter to pay Paul."
Everything comes at a cost, and make no mistake – these guys will be costly. The Cowboys have been showing glimpses of fiscal restraint in recent years, so a couple of these guys could prove to be a casualty of said “restraint”.
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Even with the potentially damaging video, it’s clear the Cowboys will not be letting Dez Bryant go anywhere. He’s a sure thing. After that, everything gets a little murky. The Cowboys are already committed to pay their offense considerably more over the next few years than their defense. So anything additionally spent on offense, will come at a detriment to the defense.
If the Dallas Cowboys re-sign DeMarco Murray, they will be taking potential money and resources away from the defense. Same with Free. If the Cowboys re-sign Doug Free too, there probably won’t be enough to field a defense of anyone other than low wage and rookie contract guys (even if Sean Lee is restructured and Brandon Carr is a June cut).
Speaking of which, Tony Romo will restructure and Brandon Carr will likely be cut, but that only frees up some money. The Cowboys just can’t afford to mortgage the future by restructuring everyone.
Just recently, a very prominent Dallas Cowboys writer said he thinks the Cowboys need to re-sign Bryant, Murray, Free, Carter (or McClain) and still keep Crawford next season. Oh really? This is almost the equivalent of an 8 year old girl wanting to be a doctor- ballerina – princess. Yes, being all three would be fantastic sweetie, but let’s look at this all realistically. And yes, re-signing everyone also sounds fantastic, but let’s be real.
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Salary cap experts can do just about anything, and I know finding a way to sign the BIG 4 this offseason is something that
can
be done. It would be extremely detrimental to the future, but doable nonetheless. The only way to re-sign every player we like (or the bulk of the “most-desirables”), is if the Cowboys re-structure multiple big contracts, pushing the bulk of the money down the road and cutting players.
The Cowboys will need to pick where they want to spend their money because it can’t stretch to everywhere. You want Free, Bryant and Murray? That’s fine but you can’t bring back your defense, even if you cut Carr (actually a positive). Oh yeah, you won’t be able to re-sign Tyrone Crawford next season either. You want to re-sign McClain or Carter, that’s fine too. But you better be willing to go cheaper at RT and RB because the Cowboys can’t realistically afford Murray and Free then, unless you want to dip into the future budget again.
The thing to always keep in mind is the NFL salary cap makes this a zero sum game. If you spend money in one place, you can’t spend it someplace else. If you go big at one spot, you have to go small at another. The Cowboys know this. Expect some tough decisions ahead.