FRISCO, Texas — A week before the start of NFL free agency and the Dallas Cowboys have been a busy group. They re-signed their top defensive tackle, Osa Odighizuwa, to a four-year, $80 million deal on Tuesday.
Franchise quarterback Dak Prescott and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb had their contracts restructured, opening up about $57 million in salary-cap space for the 2025 season.
The Cowboys also re-signed the following veterans: OG/C Brock Hoffman, special teams ace C.J. Goodwin, DB Juanyeh Thomas and DE Tyrus Wheat.
All this movement might have some thinking that times are changing in Dallas and an aggressive free-agency approach is up next.
Not exactly.
“I don’t think aggressive is the right word,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Wednesday following a news conference to announce the retirement of nine-time Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin. “I’m not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids.”
Dallas has several voids. Help is still needed at running back, cornerback, linebacker, offensive line, defensive line and wide receiver.
The Cowboys can’t really expect to fill all of those holes in the draft. But Jones thinks they can find the majority of their answers there next month.
The other option would be via trade. That was a key part in putting together an excellent roster in 2023.
Two years ago around this time of year, Dallas traded for veteran WR Brandin Cooks and veteran CB Stephon Gilmore. After doing very little in free agency or via trade last year, those types of 2023 offseason moves could be more of a possibility this time around.
“We go to teams all the time,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Wednesday of trade possibilities. “We’re fishing and looking for an efficient move that makes sense from a draft-pick standpoint and a salary-cap standpoint. We’re always in the market for that.
“Last year was a real exception because (we were) staring down the barrel, which most people don’t have, getting Dak signed, getting CeeDee signed and ultimately getting Micah (Parsons) signed, which is still our goal.”
Stephen Jones said preliminary contract talks have started with Parsons.
On a day when Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby agreed to a three-year, $106.5 million contract extension to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, Stephen Jones was asked about wanting to get Parsons’ next deal done sooner than it took with Prescott and Lamb.
“That’s always (the goal),” he said. “The goal was to do CeeDee (contract) early. That’s always the goal, to get it done when you can get it.”
Although Parsons has said he doesn’t need to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, that’s likely to happen whenever his next deal is done.
That could mean in the neighborhood of $40 million per season. Prescott’s contract averages $60 million per year while Lamb’s average annual salary is $34 million.
Those investments have the Cowboys in a position where they need to maximize their draft picks, meaning they are unlikely to trade a premium pick in a deal for a standout veteran from another team.
One example of that would be trading picks to the Cleveland Browns for star edge rusher Myles Garrett. It doesn’t sound like the Cowboys are interested in going down that type of road. Dallas has the 12th overall pick in April’s draft.
“We feel comfortable picking (high in the draft),” Stephen Jones said, “that we can get guys and obviously those work a lot better in a salary-cap situation than going out and giving up those picks and turning around and (having to pay a new contract). That’s a double whammy when you’re losing your picks, which are usually what help you with your cap, and you trade for a player that if you’re going to give up a high pick then you want to have a lot of years (of them under contract) and usually that’s a long-term, pricey contract.”
Jerry Jones answered questions at The Star for about 10 minutes Wednesday after declining to speak with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine last week in Indianapolis.
There was speculation that perhaps he wasn’t talking because the team was working on a big deal. The Cowboys owner and GM said Wednesday that he was just “too busy.”
One of the reasons many have speculated about a more aggressive Cowboys offseason plan is because of the success the Philadelphia Eagles have experienced while being arguably the league’s most aggressive franchise.
Prescott recently said he doesn’t think Dallas is far off from the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. Jerry Jones was more conservative in his response when asked Wednesday.
