Cowboys Rework Prescott, Martin Deals
The Cowboys have restructured quarterback Dak Prescott‘s contract to create roughly $15MM in cap space, per a club announcement. Meanwhile, they’ve also reworked the contract of guard Zack Martin to free up an extra ~$7MM in room. Between the two moves, the Cowboys have an additional $22MM to work with in advance of free agency. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Franchise Tag Schultz]
This appears to be a simple restructuring — one that converts 2022 base salary into a signing bonus. Prescott has done this before, agreeing to tweak his contract last year to give Dallas an extra $5MM in space.
Injuries limited Prescott to just five games in 2020, but he managed to play in 16 games last year. He finished the year with an 11-5 record in his starts with 4,449 yards and 37 touchdowns against ten interceptions. That marked the best TD% of his career to date (6.2). Statistically, that’s what the Cowboys were hoping for when they inked him to a four-year, $160MM extension in March of ’21. His contract — which made him the league’s second-ever $40MM/year player — remains largely the same after today’s adjustment.
Martin, a seven-time Pro Bowler, missed six regular season games in 2020 with a calf injury. In 2021, he bounced back strong with 16 starts and yet another All-Pro nod.
Cowboys Re-Sign Noah Brown
Noah Brown is still in the building. On Tuesday, the Cowboys re-signed the wide receiver to a fresh one-year deal, per a club announcement.
[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys, Cooper]
Brown, a 2017 seventh-round draft pick, has been a special teams regular for Dallas. Last year, however, he reeled in 16 catches for 184 yards while playing on 302 snaps. That accounts for roughly half of his career production — 39 catches and 425 yards.
It’s possible that Brown will see more offensive action going forward, especially since Amari Cooper is on his way out. The Cowboys are set to either trade or release their one-time star, though the trade market is looking fairly soft at the moment. Cutting Cooper would save the Cowboys $16MM in cap room while adding a four-time Pro Bowler to this year’s free agent class. Despite this year’s hiccups, he’s not far removed from his strong 2019 (79 catches for 1,189 receiving yards and eight touchdowns) or his still solid follow-up in 2020 (92 grabs, 1,114 yards, and five scores).
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are keeping tight end via the tag and working to re-up wide receiver Michael Gallup in advance of free agency.
Cowboys Tag Dalton Schultz
The third and final tight end thought to be receiving the franchise tag this offseason has indeed been franchised. Dalton Schultz will be staying in Dallas for at least one more campaign (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
Not long before today’s deadline, the 25-year-old was seen as one of the team’s top tag candidates – the other being defensive end Randy Gregory. Not surprisingly, it is the former being franchised at a cost of $10.93MM. In the last two seasons, Schultz has emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott‘s favorite and most dependable targets. He had a career year in 2021, posting 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns.
Rapoport’s colleague Mike Garafolo adds that the Cowboys have been eyeing a long-term deal with the former fourth rounder, and were hopeful it could have gotten done before today’s tag deadline (Twitter link). Instead, the team will at least tempoariliy work with a figure just under $11MM for one of the few known commodities in their pass-catching corps, given the expected release of Amari Cooper and the ongoing talks with Michael Gallup. Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News tweets that there is still “strong interest” from both team and player to get an extension done, which would likely lower is 2021 cap hit.
As for Gregory, free agency has now become all-but guaranteed. However, the Cowboys have made it clear they wish to retain the edge rusher, given the highly productive trio he formed in 2021 alongside DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. In any event, the team’s passing attack will be retaining one of its most important pieces.
Cowboys, Michael Gallup Nearing Deal?
MONDAY, 8:23pm: The Cowboys are still confident they will retain Gallup on a pre-free agency extension, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes the deal is expected to come in north of $10MM per year (video link). Dallas is aiming to complete a five-year deal with Gallup. Given where the receiver market has gone in recent years, the particulars will be interesting here.
FRIDAY, 4:58pm: This process might not be as close as initially indicated. Gallup and the Cowboys are in talks, but the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken tweets no deal is imminent. The parties are still working through “moving pieces” as they attempt to agree on a second contract, Josina Anderson of CBS Sports tweets.
FRIDAY, 3:39pm: The Cowboys’ wide receiver plan continues to unfold. Following reports of the team’s intentions to move on from Amari Cooper — via trade or release — the NFC East champions are hoping to retain Michael Gallup.
Gallup and the Cowboys are in talks on a deal that would keep him off the market. The sides are close to finalizing this extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Cowboys have exclusive negotiating rights with Gallup until March 14, when the legal tampering period begins. Absent a deal, the free agent-to-be would hit the open market March 16. A contract being finalized Friday would be fitting, as it is Gallup’s 26th birthday.
[RELATED: Cooper Trade Interest Scarce]
Moving Cooper’s $22MM cap number off the payroll will be important here, with the Cowboys long having needed to make a Cooper-or-Gallup choice to go along with CeeDee Lamb‘s rookie contract. Gallup did not have a productive contract year, missing several games because of his Week 1 calf injury and ending the season early due to an ACL tear. That stands to impact Gallup’s value, but the Cowboys are clearly confident he can regain his previous form and work alongside Lamb going forward. Gallup underwent surgery in February.
A third-round pick out of Colorado State, Gallup broke out for 1,107 yards in 2019 alongside Cooper. That is Gallup’s only 1,000-yard campaign, with Lamb having entered the picture a year later. But he still topped 800 in 2020 and enjoyed moments during an injury-plagued 2021 slate. Gallup will not command the price tag Cooper did when he signed a five-year, $100MM deal in 2020.
Reaching a lower-cost accord with Gallup would keep the Cowboys’ hopes of keeping Randy Gregory and Dalton Schultz as well. One of the duo can be retained via the franchise tag, which would make more sense for Schultz due to the tight end tag being much cheaper than the defensive line figure.
Amari Cooper Not Drawing Trade Interest
When attached to his rookie contract, Amari Cooper commanded a first-round pick in a trade. The Cowboys, who sent the Raiders their 2019 first ahead of the 2018 deadline, are not seeing nearly as much interest now that Cooper is tethered to a high-end receiver deal.
The Cowboys will try to trade Cooper, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes, but the veteran wideout has not drawn much interest. Even with teams having known the pricey wideout’s availability for weeks now, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson notes teams are not lining up to acquire his current contract (Twitter links). Cooper’s deal runs through 2024 and carries a $22MM cap number for this season. One receiver-needy team informed Robinson it has no interest in Cooper at this price. If no reasonable trade offer emerges, the Cowboys intend to cut Cooper.
In recent years, the draft has begun to provide teams with quality value at receiver, with the past few classes being flush with pass-catching help. With those rookies tied to low-cost deals for at least three seasons, value for players like Cooper — who signed a five-year, $100MM deal in 2020 — diminishes.
The Cowboys moving Cooper off their roster before March 20 saves them $16MM, funds that could be allocated to some of the team’s impending free agents. Cooper’s $20MM base salary becomes fully guaranteed on that fifth day of the 2022 league year. The team is interested in retaining Dalton Schultz, and Robinson adds it weighed Cooper’s cost with the ability to keep Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson and potentially Randy Gregory (Twitter links). Wilson, Gallup’s injury replacement in 2021, joins Gallup and Gregory in being on track for free agency. To go through with this plan, the Cowboys ($13.4MM over the cap) will need to make more moves to free up space.
Gallup potentially being available at a slight discount due to his ACL tear benefits the Cowboys, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes, potentially factoring into the team’s plan. Retaining Gallup would be a cheaper option than keeping Cooper, though losing the latter would stand to put more pressure on CeeDee Lamb, who has benefited from defenses’ attention to Cooper. The Cooper-or-Gallup long-term choice has been on the team’s radar for a while now, and it appears a decision has been made.
Despite having played seven seasons, Cooper is just 27. He would certainly draw extensive interest on the open market. The prospect of the Packers franchise-tagging Davante Adams and the Buccaneers using a second tag on Chris Godwin would enhance Cooper’s value, if the Cowboys indeed release him. Cooper is a four-time Pro Bowler who has posted five 1,000-yard seasons.
Cowboys Likely To Cut Amari Cooper
The Cowboys are “likely” to release wide receiver Amari Cooper by the start of the league year, according to league sources who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The move would spare Dallas from a fully-guaranteed $20MM payout, due on March 20th.
[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys’ TE Situation]
Cutting Cooper would save the Cowboys $16MM in cap room for 2022. This was unthinkable just a couple of years ago, when the wide receiver inked his five-year, $100MM extension. Back then, he was fresh off of his fourth career Pro Bowl nod and had just reeled in 79 catches for 1,189 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He delivered another solid — though less efficient — season in 2020 with 92 grabs, 1,114 yards, and five scores.
In 2021, however, he had his least productive full season as a Cowboy. His 68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns were still okay for fantasy owners, but his overall performance wasn’t in line with his best work.
Without the former fourth overall pick, the Cowboys may look to completely overhaul their WR unit. Both Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are scheduled for free agency, leaving CeeDee Lamb as the only pillar of the group under contract.
A Cooper release would provide breathing room for the long run as well. By dropping the remainder of his five-year, $100MM deal, the Cowboys would escape $22MM cap hits in each of the next three seasons. Cooper, meanwhile, would profile as one of the top free agents available. Despite his down 2021, Cooper has five 1,000-yard seasons on his resume and won’t turn 28 until June.
Latest On Cowboys’ TE Situation
Blake Jarwin did well to capitalize on his free agency, signing a four-year deal worth $22MM to stay a Cowboy in 2020. Injuries have since disrupted the veteran tight end’s career. His latest could be a career-threatening setback.
Jarwin recently underwent a hip surgery that has his status for the 2022 season in doubt, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken, who adds this operation is considered uncommon for NFL players (Twitter link). Jarwin is not expected to be ready by the start of next season. This should point the Cowboys toward prioritizing free agent-to-be Dalton Schultz.
Indeed, Schultz is in Dallas’ plans, with Gehlken adding (via Twitter) the team is interested in retaining the breakthrough pass catcher. Schultz, who caught 78 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns, is expected to generate significant free agency interest. This could make him a tag candidate. The tight end tag is expected to come in at nearly $11MM. This would be a huge bump for Schultz, who totaled the most receiving yards by a Cowboys tight end since Jason Witten‘s 2013 season.
The PUP list or a release reside as Cowboys options for Jarwin, who has two years remaining on his deal. Jarwin would be due injury protection if cut, with Gehlken adding that would mean the Cowboys paying $2MM of his $4.5MM 2022 salary. Jarwin, 27, suffered a torn ACL in September 2020 and then encountered his hip problem in November of last year.
Schultz, 25, arrived in Dallas as a 2018 fourth-round pick. By making it to free agency, he would join a host of starting tight ends on this year’s market. Rob Gronkowski, Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki David Njoku, C.J. Uzomah and O.J. Howard are among the unattached tight ends this year.
Cowboys Notes: Cooper, Elliott, Prescott
The Cowboys face the possibility of losing a number of their big-name players on both sides of the ball. The most notable of those – not just in terms of pedigree, but also how much his contract will affect the rest of the team’s offseason plans – is Amari Cooper. Recent comments from executive vice president Stephen Jones won’t be confused with a ringing endorsement of the wideout.
As ESPN’s Todd Archer writes, Jones was non-committal when asked if Cooper would remain with the Cowboys through next season. “It’s too early for me to address that yet… we’re continuing to have conversations”, he said. Questions surrounding the 28-year-old have increased recently, due to structure of his contract. There is no more guaranteed money left on Cooper’s deal, creating the possibility the team could get out of a $22MM cap hit in each of the next three years, while incurring relatively little dead money.
The former fourth overall pick had his least productive full season in Dallas last year. While his numbers (68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games) were still noteworthy, they fell short of expectations given his Pro Bowl pedigree, along with his contract. Moving on from Cooper could lead to a substantial overhaul of the Cowboys’ receiving corps, as Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are each pending free agents, leaving CeeDee Lamb as essentially the only sure thing at the position.
Here are some other Dallas notes, including more remarks from Jones:
- In contrast to Cooper, Jones spoke with more certainty about Ezekiel Elliott, saying “He’s going to be here, no question. We’re fortunate to have him”. With his money being guaranteed, that confirmation shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Archer notes, but it is still notable given the fact Elliott played through a knee injury all season. Despite being banged up, he produced 1,289 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns in 2021.
- On a more general note, Jones suggested the Cowboys won’t treat this offseason as an ‘all-in’ year while sacrificing future cap flexibility. “We could do some things that would allow us to keep most of our guys if we wanted to push it all out, but then we’d have a much bigger problem next year and the year after”, he said (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). The Cowboys are currently projected to be over the cap, with several big-ticket free agents (including Randy Gregory and Dalton Schultz) still to be re-signed.
- Lastly, head coach Mike McCarthy announced at the Combine that Dak Prescott had surgery on his left (i.e. non-throwing) shoulder at the beginning of the offseason, Field Yates of ESPN tweets. McCarthy has “no concern” about Prescott’s availability for offseason workouts, an encouraging sign given his injury history in Dallas.
NFC Notes: Bucs, Cooper, Panthers, Croom
A couple weeks ago, we wrote about the NFL finalizing plans for a regular season game to take place in Germany. Well, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the home team of that game will be none other than the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
No word has been announced yet on who their opponent will be, but the Super Bowl LV champions will be present at FC Bayern Munich Stadium next season. The NFL will have one more game in Munich and two in Frankfurt over the following three seasons.
The 2022 NFL season will see four other games on foreign soil. In addition to the game in Germany, England will host three games and the league will return to Mexico City for the first time since 2019.
Here are a few other notes from around the NFC, starting with a note out of the Lone Star State:
- Cowboys’ wide receiver Amari Cooper carried a $22MM cap hit in the 2021 NFL season, the highest of any receiver last year. His contract is set up to continue carrying that weight for the remaining three years of his deal. What changes is that, were Dallas to cut the free agent addition before the 2021 season, they would be left with $28MM of dead cap, whereas cutting him before March 20, 2022, would leave them with $6MM of dead cap. Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News wrote about the Cowboys’ designed “escape hatch” in an article this past week.
- The Panthers mutually parted ways with director of pro personnel Matt Allen this weekend, according to Joe Person of The Athletic. Allen started as a scouting assistant in 2009 and worked his way up until he was promoted into his most recent role in 2017. Allen was one of the last few holdovers from the Jerry Richardson-era, as Allen was actually a grandson of Richardson.
- After spending the 2021 season on injured reserve, tight end Jason Croom is progressing steadily in his recovery from a torn ACL, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. This was Croom’s second full season spent on IR as the former undrafted free agent also sat out his sophomore season in Buffalo. He is set to hit the free agent market as he works toward a full recovery.
Could The Cowboys Tag Randy Gregory Or Dalton Schultz?
Two of the most important pending free agents in Dallas are defensive end Randy Gregory and tight end Dalton Schultz. As ESPN’s Todd Archer writes, each could be franchise tag candidates, as the team faces numerous tough roster decisions. 
[Related: Surgery Update For Cowboys’ Gregory]
Gregory, despite being 29, is set to hit the open market for the first time in his career. After dealing with suspensions and injuries (including a knee problem that required recent surgery), he likely earned himself a payday in 2021, since he posted six sacks (which tied for a career high), along with three forced fumbles in 12 games. Along with DeMarcus Lawrence – who was himself tagged twice by the team, before ultimately signing a long-term extension – and Micah Parsons, Gregory was part of a dominant pass rush for the Cowboys this season.
Archer notes that the tag number for defensive ends is likely to be around $20MM. In part because of that high figure, he writes that “the Cowboys’ hope is that standing by Gregory through his off-field issues… will help them in securing a favorable long-term deal”.
As for Schultz, Archer believes a tag is more likely. The 25-year-old has grown into an important offensive contributor in the last two seasons, especially so in 2021, where he notched 78 receptions for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. A franchise tag for Schultz would cost the team just under $11MM, which is less than what Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry received when they signed with the Patriots in 2021, and, quite possibly, some of the other pending free agents at the position could get this year.
Tagging either one would, of course, leave the team in the position of needing to commit long-term to the other. Given the fact that, as Archer points out, Dallas is currently over the cap by more than $20MM, tough, there will inevitably be holes in the roster to be filled if the Cowboys are to remain Super Bowl contenders.