Jerry Jones Dallas Cowboys
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
There is a certain subset of people who, no matter what the Dallas Cowboys do, are going to hate on them. And to be fair, the Cowboys seem to give them a lot of ammunition.
The 1st day of the 2026 NFL free agency cycle seemed to bring the haters out in full force after the Cowboys started the day with a trade for Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary and found themselves on the outside looking in when it came to the biggest free agent moves of the day.
With all of that coming after the Cowboys suffered a very public defeat in the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes … and you know the rest.
NFL.com’s Jeffri Chahida put Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in the No. 1 spot on his list of the NFL’s “Biggest Losers” following Day 1 of free agency on Monday.
“Gary is certainly an upgrade on what Dallas already had on the edge,” Chadiha wrote. “It’s also worth wondering how impactful he will be as a Cowboy. Gary was once considered an ascending talent. A torn ACL in the 2022 season changed all that; he hasn’t been nearly as proficient at pressuring quarterbacks since he was before that injury. The 29-year-old also is set to count for $19.5 million against this year’s cap. There’s a reason the Packers were considering releasing him at some point this offseason. Jones certainly found a cheaper option for his pass rush. It remains to be seen if it will be an effective one.”
Cowboys Actually Improved at Edge Rusher
For the Cowboys, they actually improved at edge rusher by adding a starter in Gary and a possible starter/primary backup by bringing back 2022 2nd round pick Sam Williams on a 1-year, $3 million contract.
Gary, 6-foot-5 and 277 pounds, was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and earned his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2024. He’s had at least 7.5 sacks each of the last 3 seasons. On Friday, he posted and then deleted a “goodbye” post to the Packers on his Instagram account.
The Cowboys sent the Packers a 2027 4th round pick in exchange for Gary.
“Trade: the Green Bay Packers are finalizing a deal that would send DT Rashan Gary to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a late-round 2027 draft pick, per ESPN sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Monday morning. “New Cowboys’ DC Christian Parker was in Green Bay as a defensive quality control coach when Rashan Gary was drafted in 2019.”
Gary has struggled to live up to expectations after he signed a 4-year, $96 million contract extension in October 2023 — midway through a season in which he had a career-high 9.0 sacks. He’s due to make $19.5 million in 2026 and $22.5 million in 2027, and it’s likely the Cowboys will try to get him to restructure his contract to free up more salary cap space.
Can Cowboys Still Make More Moves?
It would be a shock to see the Cowboys not make more moves in the free agency period or through a trade. While their offense seems pretty set, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make a move for another edge rusher or an inside linebacker.
The biggest card the Cowboys still have yet to play? They have 2 1st round picks in the 2026 NFL draft, at No. 12 and No. 20 overall.