“I’ve never played the game for that (money),” said Dak Prescott after signing the renewed deal with the Cowboys in September last year. Getting Prescott to sign an extension before the season was the “goal” for the Cowboys and understandably so. Back in March, the QB’s previous contract was reworked to reduce his massive salary cap hit. The franchise then had the chance to themselves more breathing space in cap space by offering an extension, which they duly did.

Prescott put pen to paper on a $240 million four-year contract, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history. The contract includes a $80 million signing bonus and guarantees totaling $231 million, with an average annual income of $60 million. Prescott was always intent on staying in Dallas saying that “winning it any other place would be the same as winning it here.” While he will have several chances now to achieve his goal, behind the scenes, Stephen Jones, the Cowboys EVP is working hard to get the team in a position to build a strong side.

Stephen Jones appeared on the 105.3 The Fan on Friday where he revealed that they might rework the 4-year $240 million deal of their quarterback, which will allow them to free up cap space.

On the show, Jones said, “We reworked (Dak Prescott’s contract) every step of the way of his $40 million contract and we’ll be reworking it again throughout on his $60 million contract, in terms of pushing the pay day out. A little bit of that’s our problem right now, is we’re not only paying for his current $60 million, we’re still paying for part of the $40 million contract that we pushed out.”

Jerry Jones’s team finds itself in a tricky position. There is an opportunity for them to maneuver their finances by restructuring some deals, but how far they are willing to go?

For the next season, the NFL’s cap is projected at $275 million, up from $245 million last year. While this gives franchises more wiggle room, things aren’t that easy for the Cowboys. They have 40 players signed for $263 million, which means they’re left with $12 million on paper,. This is before taking into account raises, rookie contracts, or injuries.

The franchise has the opportunity to create cap space as it did with Prescott’s restructuring and subsequent extension. Prescott has a 2025 cap number of $89.89 million via his new deal. If the Cowboys successfully restructure that deal, they will gain about $36 million in cap room.

Then Lamb has a cap number of $35.45 million for next season after the extension he signed in August. Restructuring that deal will give the Cowboys about $20 million in cap space. That’s $56 million for the franchise to use in cap space in the offseason. But again it is not that straightforward.

“Rookie contracts are minimal. And then we have a lot of players on our team that are veteran salary benefit type players. At the end of the day, there are only 6-to-8 contracts that you can rework. You can probably get them all in quick order in terms of where you go to create that space,” Stephen Jones added during the conversation.

The Cowboys have to be careful about who they remove from the 2025 squad to make room and how it keeps them competitive. CB Trevon Diggs is likely to stay due to his $9 million injury-guaranteed salary. Right tackle Terence Steele, with an $18.125 million cap hit, could be removed after June 1, saving $14 million. But this will leave a gaping hole at right tackle.

The Cowboys have $19.7 million in salary cap room that will carry over to the 2025 cap. However, veterans Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Brandin Cooks will still count for about $20 million against the salary cap whether they stay or go. Restructuring Prescott’s new contract will be a start and something the Cowboys will be keen to get done.

When Prescott’s contract was restructured in March 2024, his $5 million roster bonus was converted into the signing bonus, reducing the cap hit by $4 million, to about $55 million. Then in his extension, they also added two voidable years in 2027 and 2028 to keep the salary cap in 2025 at around $40 million.

This year, Jerry Jones and his son might do the same things again. In 2025, he doesn’t carry any other bonus except the $47.5 million guaranteed salary. On Dak Prescott’s part, he wouldn’t be too concerned about it as long as they give him a good pool of talented players.

Though the Cowboys couldn’t qualify for playoffs, their five players are in the Pro Bowl and one of them wants a new deal. If it happens in the offseason, the Cowboys will have more money in their bank.

Will Jerry Jones keep Pro Bowler LB?

LB Micah Parsons‘s contract expires in 2025. He is set to enter a free agency in March. He is set to earn $21.4 million on his fifth-year option, but a multiyear extension would lower that figure. The linebacker has claimed that he wanted to sign a new deal before March.

While talking to reporters on January 2, he said, “I’m going to try and work with them as much as possible to help them attack free agency. I want to be back with this team. This offseason, I want to be here. I want to get these guys right.”

The LB indicated he wants to keep the best players around him while getting good money. It doesn’t need to be among the top-paid players. But he wants to know the amount before making any type of decision.

Signing a deal by March seems like a challenge for the Cowboys’ management. Last year, CeeDee Lamb missed all the minicamp, training camp, and preseason before the franchise signed a deal with him. Fans wouldn’t want them to see in such a situation again. Stephen Jones and the rest of the front office will have to work sharply and swiftly if the Cowboys are to secure a good amount of cap space and add quality to their ranks.