Dallas Cowboys Complete 7-Round Mock Draft 2023: Roster Management
By John Herndon
Contracts, contracts and more contracts
In 2017 Dallas gave Nolan Corrall a three-year, $10 million deal, he was released after 81 defensive snaps.
In 2019, the Cowboys signed linebacker Jaylon Smith to a five-year extension worth $64 million ($35.5 million guaranteed).
The extension made Smith the third-highest paid inside linebacker in the league, after the Seattle Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner and New York Jets’ C. J. Mosley.
In 2019, Dallas handed Zeke Elliott a six-year, $90 million contract. Making him the highest paid, running back and resetting the market. Elliot was a first-round pick. His first three years before his contract extension, he made $20 plus million.
In 2019, Dallas signed RT Collins to a five-year, $50 million contract extension.
Collins’ rookie deal was for three years and worth $1.59 million, all guaranteed, with a $21,000 signing bonus.
In 2017, La’el Collins inked a two-year extension worth $15.4 million with a $4 million bonus. The Cowboys gave him a third contract in 2019: $50 million over five years with a $9 million bonus.
Through his contracts, La’el Collins would have made $70 million if he played out the 2019 deal. He didn’t.
When Dallas moved on from Collins. Most of the fan base wanted to riot because no one believed Terrance Steele could fill his cleats. They were wrong.
A friend of mine, Steve Ortiz called it before everyone else did. He said the Dallas Cowboys would move on from La’el Collins. I told him he was wrong. Steve proved to be smarter than me. Touché buddy.
Let’s continue on. Last but not least.
We can’t forget the Amari Cooper contract extension.
In 2020, Dallas gave Cooper a contract extension for 5 years and $100M. Making him the first $100M wide receiver and resetting the market. I do not know why the Dallas Cowboys traded for Cooper without a contact extension in place.
In 2018, the market value for the wide receiver was under $20M per season. Cooper wanted out of Oakland. Instead, Dallas allowed him to play out his contract. The Dallas Cowboys reset the market with Cooper.
After this business. All we continue to hear is Dak Prescott should take less. Notice a pattern. All of those players are GONE!
Last season, Dallas signed Michael Gallup, who was coming off a ACL injury, to a five-year $57 million dollar contract, $10 million signing bonus, with $27 million guaranteed.
My colleague and fellow Sport DFW contributor Dink Kearney does a deep dive into Michael Gallup. I highly recommend that you give it a read. You can thank me later.
No one said anything about the above players taking less. None of them should, either.
When it came time to sign Dak Prescott to his extension. Dallas waited two years too late to do so.
This was the narrative being pushed. From the lips of Stephen Jones himself.
"“We can’t push the issue unless we want to be a market-setter. And we’re damn sure not going to be a market-setter because of all the things that go with being a Dallas Cowboy. We want our players to feel good about their contracts. But at the same time, we don’t want to do things that are out of line because we can’t afford to be that way. When we save money, whether it’s with Dak, whether it’s with Zeke, whether it’s with Amari, it’s not saving Jerry and I a dollar. It’s just money that’s going to another player.”—Stephen Jones told KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM."
I must be missing something. Because Cowboys Twitter seem to dismiss Stephen Jones so much he is called Cap Boy, but they licked this narrative up like ice cream.