Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has some tough decisions to make soon as multiple high-profile, highly skilled players are due for a raise. They’ll get that raise, to be sure. The real question is whether they’ll get it from Dallas or another NFL franchise.
The owner has already made it clear that extending Dak Prescott’s contract is a given.
In a radio appearance with 105.3 The Fan Tuesday morning, Jones confirmed his dedication to the quarterback, saying, “I want him in the short-term and the long-term,” per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
He then said the same about running back Ezekiel Elliott, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and cornerback Byron Jones — all of whom are destined for some huge contracts soon — but then quipped, “Now, getting [those contracts done], hell I want a bigger boat.”
Don’t we all. Don’t we all.
Jones further hinted that the ‘Boys won’t be able to keep all their stars.
“This is a very talented group and I think we can get better. We might lose some players that our fans may have a concern about, but in general, we can upgrade from players getting better.”
Brace yourselves, Cowboys Nation.
According to the salary cap site Over The Cap, Dallas is slated to have quite a bit of money to work with next year (over $54 million), so the sky is not falling. However, the money starts adding up awfully quickly when you pile a few top-end contracts on top of each other, and let’s not forget that Amari Cooper is due to get paid as well.
The Cowboys have a ton of exciting young talent. Much like we saw from Seattle recently, the name of the game is to find a few key centerpieces, pay them big time, and fill in the rest of the holes through the draft. That’s the recipe Jones will have to follow in order to stay competitive, and it seems he knows it.