Speculation about Terence Steele‘s Cowboys future can be put to rest. The veteran offensive tackle has worked out a restructure, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report.
As a result of today’s agreement, Steele will collect $22MM fully guaranteed. This new pact carries a base value of $33MM and can top out at $36MM. In need of financial flexibility, the Cowboys will create $13MM in cap space for 2026 as a result of Steele’s new contract.
Steele’s original pact called for $48.5MM in total earnings, but it was largely in doubt if he would rake in much of that figure. Little in the way of guaranteed money remained, leading to questions about a trade or release. Instead, Steele will move forward with another new Dallas commitment.
The 2020 UDFA is now one of the Cowboys longest-tenured players. The Texas Tech product has been in the starting lineup since his rookie campaign, and he hasn’t missed a regular season start since the 2022 campaign. Pro Football Focus has recently graded him as a middle-of-the-road offensive tackle, including a 43rd-place showing (among 81 qualifiers) in 2025.
In another cost-saving move, safety Malik Hooker has also agreed to a restructure. Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS reports Hooker’s pact has been redone to create immediate cap space. That will help Dallas’ needed efforts to make defensive additions this spring. The team has generated $2MM in 2026 savings, ESPN’s Todd Archer notes.
Yep, needs some $$$ to free up for Rashan Gary