Speaking outside of the NFL league meetings on Wednesday afternoon after the session concluded at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones offered answers to what the team has ahead in the final four games and gave a potential outlook into how the offseason could play out.
After a 2024 offseason that frustrated the fanbase because of the lack of free agent movement that the Cowboys engaged in, Jones is anticipating a similar situation in the 2025 offseason because of the team’s salary cap situation.
“I think we knew we were gonna have a challenge [in 2024] and [2025],” Jones said. “It’s gonna be really, really tight. We still have some money left over from some guys who are not here today, and we’re gonna have some other guys that won’t be here in the future that you’re still gonna have their cap count.”
When a player is on a contract, the team has the option to push a portion of the contract against the salary cap in future years rather than the current year, also known as dead cap. The Cowboys currently have $9.28 million in dead cap for 2025, but that number is expected to grow exponentially with the potential departures of Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence and others.
The Cowboys can create cap space by restructuring expensive contracts, cutting players or making trades in the offseason.
“We’re always working behind the curtains and thinking about those types of things,” Jones said about offseason decision-making. “Everything we’re doing right now and how it affects next year.”
The team also must factor in re-signing players currently on the roster, as 24 non-practice squad players are scheduled to become free agents in the offseason. Such as defensive lineman Chauncey Golston, Jones is factoring those players in as well.
“Guys are getting opportunities and guys are going to continue to get opportunities,” he said. “I think Chauncey Golston has really stepped up. He’s a free agent, I hate that because he’s played his best football on the last year of his contract. I don’t hate that for him, I hate it for us. Guys have stepped up and played well.”
This story was originally published December 11, 2024, 2:58 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.