Less than five months ago, Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys defacto General Manager/Salary Cap Coordinator, fervently tried to convince Cowboys Nation that Dallas was facing salary cap hardships. He spoke of “pie”, he talked about unavoidable spending caps, and he mentioned “tough decisions.”
In the following days and weeks he would send off some of the Cowboys’ top players: Amari Cooper, La’el Collins, and Randy Gregory were all sent packing in the offseason, in some form or fashion. Even though they were generally regarded as some of the best players at their respective positions, money ruled the day and Stephen acted as if his hands were tied.
The same sentiment carried the Dallas Cowboys through free agency, with Dallas doing little to plug their self-induced roster holes. While teams all over the NFL moved money off their books, creating cap space and signing players with little-to-no long-term consequences, Stephen regarded the behavior as witchcraft, preferring instead to cut costs and reduce future financial commitments.
The Dallas Cowboys now have some of the most cap space in the entire NFL, which sadly means next to nothing at this point.
We said it from the start, 2022 is about clearing the deck and setting the stage for the 2023 season. If the Cowboys were trying to win, REALLY TRYING TO WIN, they would have added talent this offseason – not cut talent. Nope, it was obvious in February the Cowboys are clearing money and avoiding commitments, and right now we see the fruits of their labor.
With the La'el Collins cap savings now official, the Cowboys have roughly $22 million in salary cap space
— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) June 2, 2022
That's top 5 in the NFL, per Over The Cap
But with most of the decent free agents long gone and only a handful of viable retreads still on the market, what’s the point of all that cap space?
The Cowboys will tell us this is about saving money for the future. They say it’s about being able to keep Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb. It’s about the future, they plead, and if any fans disagree, the fan is either short-sighted or they don’t want to keep the aforementioned players. Well played, Stephen.
Never mind the fact Parsons is under his affordable rookie contract for four more seasons, Lamb is controllable for three more, and Diggs for two. Stephen wants to save NOW, durn it. Meanwhile GMs around the NFL, who don’t get to pocket unspent money as future inheritance, are spending at will. That’s what happens when winning is the GM’s top priority.
Even the teams/GMs once seen as “irresponsible” have had wild success moving money year after year.
Re: The Saints' salary cap situation, in 2014, New Orleans was in a similarly-horrific financial situation. Would they be able to even field a team? Then, free agency started.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 9, 2021
And they made Jairus Byrd the highest-paid safety ... ever.
Mickey Loomis is the Lord of the Cap.
We’ve heard for 10 years how the Saints are going to burn in cap hell for their crazy methods, yet every year they double-down and survive. It’s almost like they understand accounting and they take advantage of the ever-inflating nature of the cap (in non-pandemic situations). Don’t get me wrong, their cap situation is not desirable, but they’ve proven their critics wrong for years, and inspired top teams all over the NFL how to get the most bang for the buck.
The NFL salary cap is entirely fake. https://t.co/e7RMXjKmcD
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) March 31, 2022
Are the Cowboys going to spend more money this offseason? Yes. They do so nearly every year at this time and walk away with some pretty tasty deals, too.
Are they going to re-sign any of their own players? Probably. But they can’t re-sign Diggs, Parsons, or Lamb, so set your expectations accordingly.
Are they going to save money and push cap space into next season to afford key players? A little, but that in no way accounts for all the unspent opportunity of this season.
The salary cap is neither completely fake nor completely real. It’s highly manipulable, never of face value, and often used to manipulate fans and agents.
The salary cap is neither completely fake nor completely real. It’s highly manipulable, never of face value, and often used to manipulate fans and agents. It’s a structure set up by ownership used to keep costs down and is only as prohibitive as ownership wants it to be. It’s also worth saying, when you get to pocket the extra cash; you’re less inclined to spend to your full capability.
In the same way, people tend to spend easier when spending other peoples’ money. It’s all basic nature. Is that what’s happening in Dallas?
Who knows exactly. What we do know is Stephen Jones has been making the salary cap out to be a boogie man for a while, when in reality it’s just a stuffed teddy bear casting a creepy shadow in the corner of the bedroom. His loyal faction of supporters buy his tales of “pie” and “responsible spending” while the rest of Cowboys Nation watches what real GMs are doing around the league.
The Dallas Cowboys have top-5 cap space. Yippie! It’s what they do with it that matters and right now, I’m not convinced they’ll do much with it.
Pointing to Parsons, Lamb and Diggs is a distraction. Their upcoming deals should not impede the Dallas Cowboys ability to spend money this offseason one bit.