Cowboys Urged to Use 'Brilliant' Salary Cap Move on $70 Million NFL All-Pro

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Atlanta Falcons safety Justin Simmons.

While the Dallas Cowboys might not have the best product on the field in 2025 — they definitely didn’t in 2024 — one it comes to one aspect of the game, they’re pretty much peerless.

That area? Money. Which might be the most important area, actually.

Not only are the Cowboys the most valuable professional sports franchise in the entire world at an estimated $10 billion, they’ve also managed to make some pretty brilliant salary cap moves. That means Dallas still has plenty of money left to make a move this offseason — one that could help the team in some big ways — by signing free agent safety and 4-time NFL All-Pro Justin Simmons.

“(Owner) Jerry Jones is always unpredictable, but he and Stephen Jones have managed to make moves without putting the team in too much of a salary cap squeeze,” Sports Illustrated’s Josh Sanchez wrote on June 1. “In fact, Dallas enters the summer with the sixth-most available cap space in the NFL at just over $30 million. To make things even better for the Cowboys, they can make a handful of more moves in the coming months to open even more cap space, most notably extending superstar Micah Parsons.”

Simmons, who will turn 32 years old in November, spent the 2024 season with the Atlanta Falcons on a 1-year, $7.5 million contract.

Premiere Safety on Underachieving NFL Teams

Simmons heads into the 10th season of his NFL career as one of the leagues’ best safeties in that time despite never having played on a team that qualified for the playoffs.

Drafted in the third round (No. 98 overall) out of Boston College in the 2016 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, Simmons made 4 All-Pro teams and was selected to 2 Pro Bowls in 8 seasons and also led the NFL with 6 interceptions in 2022.

Simmons was a salary cap casualty before the 2024 season — collateral damage from the disastrous Russell Wilson contract — and wound up on the Falcons as they stumbled their way to an 8-9 record in 2024.

“After eight standout seasons in Denver that included two Pro Bowls, three second-team All-Pro nods and 30 interceptions, Justin Simmons joined Atlanta in free agency last year. The results were … less than impressive,” Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport wrote on May 31. “His 62 tackles were his fewest since his rookie year, and his two interceptions tied a career low. Now, the 31-year-old is again looking for work.”

Cowboy Probably Need to Sweeten Pot for Simmons

Simmons has previously expressed his desire to play for a contender in 2025, listing the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills as teams he would consider.

In that, Simmons made the one fatal mistake any NFL player can make in negotiations — he acted like he wants to be there. That means those teams will inevitably lowball Simmons. Which leaves an opening for the Cowboys, who might just be a few players away from sneaking into the playoffs.

In that equation, the Cowboys would probably have to start with a 1-year, $7 million offer and guess it’s at least $2 million more per season than any other offer Simmons will receive.

That might be money even someone like Simmons, who has $70.3 million in career earnings, might be loathe to turn his back on.

Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame