Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Cowboys COO: Ball In Dak Prescott’s Court; Team Communicating With CeeDee Lamb

Friday further solidified the quarterback market. After Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence signed $50MM-plus-per-year extensions this offseason, Jordan Love‘s hold-in and Tua Tagovailoa‘s partial hold-in wrapped after they followed suit. This leaves one major quarterback situation unresolved.

Dak Prescott remains in a contract year, and the ninth-year Cowboys QB is practicing. Prescott wields tremendous leverage over the Cowboys due to his current contract, and after a summer report indicated the team was planning to make a strong offer, COO Stephen Jones said during an appearance on KTFM San Antonio (h/t The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the ball is in Prescott’s court presently. Whether this means the Cowboys have made their offer or not, the team is waiting to hear from the QB’s camp.

[RELATED: The Cowboys’ Contract Dilemma]

The 30-year-old passer has not detailed his demands yet, but he is set up to do very well. If Prescott is to re-sign with the Cowboys, he will command a contract north of where Lawrence, Love and Joe Burrow have set the bar ($55MM). As we have detailed, Dak cannot be franchise-tagged and adds to his bargaining position via a 2024 cap number ($55.13MM) and the dead money that would hit the Cowboys’ 2025 payroll ($40.13MM) if he is unsigned by the start of the ’25 league year.

It’s definitely not the money,” Prescott said (via NFL.com’s Jane Slater and Daniel Jeremiah) of his Cowboys situation. “A little bit of it is respect. In the same sense, what motivates me is just coming out here each and every day and getting better and being able to control that, I’m at peace with. … When you focus on that, the money comes. As you said, these other guys, they’re the ones setting the bar in that, and as I said, it’s an obligation that I have to my team, my family, and to the rest of the quarterbacks in the NFL.”

The tag being out of the picture gives Prescott the ability to control this process. The Falcons’ Kirk Cousins contract, despite the veteran QB going into his age-36 season coming off an Achilles tear, illustrates the free agency offers that would likely be available if Prescott hit the market. Prescott has said he wants to finish his career in Dallas but added the obvious caveat that quarterbacks often change teams. Given the makeup of Dallas’ roster, suddenly needing to find a new starting quarterback next year would obviously threaten to unravel this nucleus’ contention prospects.

This all points to the Cowboys needing to make a monster offer — perhaps at or near $60MM per year with favorable guarantees — to prevent their QB from moving toward free agency.

Lamb can be tagged in 2025, but the Cowboys have made an offer. Jones said during his KTFM appearance the team heard back from the All-Pro wideout recently. Lamb is headed into his fifth-year option season. While the Oklahoma alum may not require a contract that makes him the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, the Cowboys will at least need to approach the Justin Jefferson numbers ($35MM AAV, $110MM guaranteed, $88.7MM fully guaranteed) to complete a deal.

We keep having multiple exchanges with CeeDee,” Jones said. “He actually sent us something late (Sunday). We continue to grind away on it. I would characterize both negotiations as very cordial and upbeat. We’re optimistic we’ll continue to work toward getting something done.”

The Cowboys continue to practice without Lamb, who joins Haason Reddick and Trent Williams as holdouts. The team must fine Lamb $50K per day missed, but with the receiver on a rookie contract, the fines can later be waived. Given the positive tone Jones is trying to convey, it seems likely the Cowboys would waive the fines if Lamb is extended soon. Reports indicating both players are Dallas’ priorities have come out, but the team is clearly eyeing new deals for each offensive pillar.

Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs Off PUP List

Trevon Diggs‘ recovery from an ACL tear sustained during practice has reached a key stage. The All-Pro cornerback is ready to practice once again. He is officially off Dallas’ active/PUP list.

The Cowboys had nearly a month to activate Diggs from their active/PUP list, a training camp-only designation, but his being ready before August represents a positive direction for this particularly rehab odyssey. Team officials, per the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore, have been confident Diggs will be ready for Week 1. Today’s activation certainly points to a return on time.

Dallas managed to remain a top-tier defense despite losing the former 11-interception player early last season. DaRon Bland delivered a ballhawk season for the ages, setting an NFL record with five pick-sixes. The Cowboys now have 11- and nine-INT players rostered at corner, and they are close to playing together once again. Dallas has planned a Diggs-Bland-Jourdan Lewis trio at the position under new DC Mike Zimmer, and the veteran coach will see his top troops together for the first time.

It sounds like the Cowboys will ease Diggs back into action, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. That makes sense given that the fifth-year corner is just more than 10 months removed from the injury. Diggs going down so early last season helps him on this front, and the injury did not end up costing him any value. The Cowboys extended the former second-round pick during last year’s training camp, and the injury soon made signing early — as opposed to playing out his rookie contract — an important decision.

Diggs, who will turn 26 in September, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 — after he became the first 11-INT player since Cowboys then-rookie Everson Walls in 1981. Diggs parlayed that season into a five-year deal worth $97MM. That still ranks fifth among CBs. In terms of AAV, this year’s batch of cornerback accords — for the likes of Jaylon Johnson, L’Jarius Sneed and Tyson Campbell — did not eclipse that. Though, each of the three 2024 big-ticket CB extension recipients outdid Diggs for guarantees.

The team has not re-signed Stephon Gilmore, who remains a free agent. But Zimmer will soon see how the Diggs-Bland-Lewis trio looks in practice. Diggs has started 46 games for the Cowboys, becoming one of the team’s many draft finds in recent years. The Alabama alum will hope to join Lewis in putting an injury-marred chapter behind him.

Cowboys Eyeing DE Help

With Sam Williams lost for the season thanks to a torn ACL and MCL, the Cowboys are doing their due diligence on potential replacements. According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the team has been “reviewing the tape” on available veteran defensive ends. However, Moore cautions that the team hasn’t lined up any visits/workouts.

[RELATED: Cowboys’ Sam Williams Tears ACL]

While Williams was once buried in the positional pecking order, the Cowboys were going to lean on their depth following the losses of Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler this offseason. Dallas is fortunate that they still have plenty of talent on the edge; Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence will continue to lead the depth chart, and the organization also used a second-round pick on Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland.

Beyond that trio, the options are less than inspiring for new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. 2023 fourth-round pick Viliami Fehoko Jr. is the team’s most significant recent draft investment of the bunch, but any of the back-of-the-depth-chart options (including key special teamer Chauncey Golston, 2023 UDFAs Durrell Johnson and Tyrus Wheat, and 2024 UDFA Byron Vaughns) could step into any leftover snaps. There’s a good chance the Cowboys will be patient and evaluate this grouping before pouncing on any free agent options.

Plus, the free agent market has been pretty much picked through. Yannick Ngakoue likely represents the best option at the position, with the likes of Carl Lawson, Markus Golden, and Shaq Lawson also sitting unsigned. The Cowboys will also have more options at their disposal as rival squads trim down their rosters, so there probably isn’t any urgency to find a Williams replacement right now. Stephen Jones basically acknowledged as much when discussing the position with Moore.

“We’ll just see,” Jones said. “It depends on the guy. Everybody is pouring over the tape and seeing if there is anything. But we’re very pleased with what Kneeland has done so far.

“If the right guy is there, we’ll pull the trigger. If not, we’ll kind of keep playing along, see how our guys do and go from there.”

As for Williams, Moore notes that the defender will undergo surgery in August to repair his torn ACL and partially torn MCL. The earlier we’ll see Williams on the field will likely be a month or two into the 2025 campaign.

Cowboys’ Sam Williams Tears ACL

JULY 29: Williams also suffered a partial MCL tear yesterday, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. That will add further to his recovery time as he turns his attention to the 2025 campaign and his ability to rebuild his free agent value.

JULY 28: The Cowboys were set to enter the 2024 NFL season with defensive end as a position of strength. Unfortunately, an early training camp injury has changed that picture a bit in Dallas. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, defensive end Sam Williams is reported to have suffered a torn ACL, ending his third year in the league before it had a chance to get off the ground. After initial speculation from Pelissero and the team, Ian Rapoport was the one to confirm the positive MRI results.

Williams joined the Cowboys’ defensive front in 2022 after getting drafted out of Ole Miss in the second round. His rookie year saw him buried on the depth chart behind Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, and Dante Fowler, yet he still managed to tally four sacks while rotating in. He also showed his disruptive nature in other ways, finishing only behind Parsons on the team with 10 tackles for loss.

In his sophomore campaign, Williams worked his way past Fowler on the depth chart and even outproduced Lawrence, finishing the season third on the team in sacks with 4.5. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has been friendly to Williams over the years, ranking him as the 54th-best pass rusher out of 119 at the position in 2022 and the 51st out of 112 in 2023 — both years in limited time. Last year, PFF graded him with the 37th-best pass rushing grade in the league.

Up to now, health had hardly been an issue for Williams. In two years of NFL play, Williams only missed two games, both in his rookie season, and one of them was the result of a car accident. He was arrested shortly before the 2023 season but didn’t end up missing any time as a result of the incident.

With two of his competitors for snaps, Armstrong and Fowler, now set to take starting reps for the division-rival Commanders, Williams was in line for a larger responsibility and snap share in 2024. After running fifth and fourth on the depth chart in his first two seasons, Williams had once again worked his way up and was set to run as the third defensive end for the year.

The team utilized a second-round pick on Western Michigan’s Marshawn Kneeland in April to helps minimize the impact of Armstrong and Fowler’s departures, but now, Kneeland will likely be asked to step up into the role Williams was set up for. Kneeland wasn’t an elite pass rusher for the Broncos, only amassing 13.0 sacks in five years; his seasons in college actually much resembled the NFL production of Williams’ first two years, so perhaps he’s well-equipped to step into that role.

Unless Dallas turns to the veteran free agent market, which they may have to do, the Cowboys will have to rely on other players for that lost depth. Viliami Fehoko returns in 2024. A fourth-round rookie last year, Fehoko failed to make any game appearances before being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury in mid-November. He was activated in January but still didn’t see the field. Tyrus Wheat is the other depth option after appearing in 12 games for the Cowboys last year as an undrafted rookie.

While that may not be enough for Dallas, and they may need to seek some free agent help, one thing that’s certain is that Williams will not be able to contribute this year. That makes 2025 a crucial year for Williams as it will be the final year of his rookie contract and his final chance to show what he can bring to a defense that already rosters an All-Pro star in Parsons.

NFL Workout Rumors: Dawkins, Lions, Akers

The name of recent UFL linebacker Noah Dawkins is starting to make the rounds in NFL camps. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Dawkins worked out recently with both the Cowboys and Bears.

Dawkins’ introduction to the NFL came in 2019 when he signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent following an impressive pro day at The Citadel. He was signed off the team’s practice squad to the Buccaneers active roster, appearing in 10 games without recording any defensive statistics. In the next three years, he spent time with the Jets and Bears.

He spent this past UFL season with the Michigan Panthers, totaling 35 tackles and an interception. He wasn’t part of the initial rush of players from the UFL getting NFL interest, but he seems to be growing in popularity. In addition to his recent workouts, Wilson reports that Dawkins has garnered interest from multiple other teams.

Here are a couple other workout rumors from around the NFL:

  • The Lions entered training camp with one of the league’s more intriguing position battles as Michael Badgley and UFL phenom Jake Bates duked it out for the kicking job in Detroit. The incumbent Badgley was forced out of the battle when he suffered a season-ending hamstring injury on Thursday. Despite this setback, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp isn’t simply handing the job to Bates. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Fipp and the Lions brought in a slew of legs to compete with Bates this summer including Matt Ammendola, Lucas Havrisik, Matt McCrane, and Andre Szmyt. Bates was shining at points of his viral UFL campaign but got cold down the stretch. After Bates missed three of eight field goal attempts in practice yesterday, per Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman, it makes sense for Fipp to bring in some competition to keep the UFL star honest.
  • Former second-round running back Cam Akers has struggled to find his place in the NFL but recently signed with the Texans for his next opportunity. Interestingly, Wilson notes that, before his successful workout in Houston resulted in a contract, Akers was scheduled for a workout with the Raiders this past week. Akers has his chance now to battle for time behind Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce in Houston, but his chances may have been a bit better in Las Vegas. The Raiders have a few names in Zamir White, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah, but White is relatively inexperienced with just four starts to his name, Mattison struggled in his first season of full-time starting duty last season in Minnesota, and Abdullah hasn’t eclipsed 200 yards rushing in a season since 2017. It’s interesting to see Akers sign with Houston when he may have had an opportunity for more playing time with the Raiders.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/24

Here are today’s minor moves to close out the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Activated from active/NFI list: TE Erick All

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Thuney has been working his way back from a pectoral injury. After suffering the strain in a Divisional Round win over the Bills, the injury held Thuney out of the team’s final two wins over the Ravens and 49ers. Having passed his physical, Thuney will return to practice in order to take the next steps on his way back to the field.

The Giants weren’t the only team to submit a waiver claim for Rourke as he continues to try and turn his success in the Canadian Football League into an NFL opportunity. Now, after being buried on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito, Rourke is able to look elsewhere for that chance at playing time in the NFL.

Cowboys Release Gareon Conley; CB Plans To Retire

The Cowboys have released cornerback Gareon Conley, per a team announcement. The club just signed Conley in June in the hopes that the 2017 first-rounder — who last suited up for regular season action in 2019 — could make a comeback in Dallas, where he would be reunited with Paul Guenther (Guenther, currently a Cowboys assistant, was the Raiders’ defensive coordinator from 2018-19, when Conley was a starter for the then-Oakland outfit).

Rather than continue his journey back to an NFL roster, Conley has decided to retire, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. As Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports, Conley requested his release, and the Cowboys obliged.

Conley, now 29, played in just two games for the Raiders in his rookie season in 2017 due to injury, but he was elevated to the starting lineup the following season, the first year of Jon Gruden‘s second stint with the club. The Ohio State product played reasonably well in his first extensive professional action, earning an average 64.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus and accumulating three interceptions — including one pick-six — among 15 passes defensed.

He remained a starter in 2019 and performed at a similar level, which was enough for the Texans to send a third-round choice to the Raiders at that year’s deadline to acquire Conley’s services. However, it was not enough for Houston to exercise his fifth-year option, which turned 2020 into a platform year. Unfortunately, instead of making his case for a lucrative second NFL contract, Conley never got into another meaningful game.

He underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery in the 2020 offseason, and though he was medically cleared to return to practice that August, he landed on IR before the season started. As it turned out, the ordinarily minor procedure led to unexpected complications, and Conley eventually required another surgery.

Conley filed a grievance against the Texans stemming from his medical issues, a matter that was recently settled for $100K. He officially exits the game after having played in just 31 contests (26 starts), though he did earn $10.5MM over the life of his rookie deal.

We at PFR wish Conley the best in retirement.

Cowboys Submit New Extension Offer To WR CeeDee Lamb

Still dealing with a rare contract situation in which three players are in the mix for market-setting extensions, the Cowboys have Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb positioned ahead of Micah Parsons in their queue. Differing reports have come out regarding whether Dallas’ quarterback or top wide receiver is the first priority, but the most recent update would point to the latter being in that slot.

COO Stephen Jones told NFL.com’s Jane Slater on Saturday the team has submitted another proposal to Lamb. Jones views the conversations with Lamb’s camp as positive, as the team attempts to hammer out an agreement that will likely be similar to the Vikings’ megadeal for Justin Jefferson.

After indicating both Lamb and Parsons wanted to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, Jones backtracked by saying the fifth-year wide receiver is not demanding that. At $35MM — with guarantees at $110MM (total) and $88.7MM (full) — Jefferson set a high bar this offseason, one that eclipsed Nick Bosa‘s $34MM-AAV deal as the league’s top non-QB contract.

A report earlier this week, coming out just before Lamb made his long-rumored holdout official, indicated the Cowboys had not yet entered substantial talks with the 2020 first-rounder. It appears that has changed, with this offer — which emerged Friday — not being the first during this negotiation. The Cowboys had Lamb on their extension radar last year but did not appear to enter serious talks. That has driven up the price now that Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and A.J. Brown have upped the market this offseason.

On the quarterback front, Jones told the reporters that, apart from Lamb’s deal yesterday, the team also made a contract offer to Prescott’s agents “a few days ago,” per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. With yesterday’s extensions of Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love, it’s likely that the offer will get tossed aside in order to process the newest information. With Tagovailoa’s deal falling just short in annual average value of the league leaders and Love’s extension tying him with Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence as the highest annual earners of all time, it’s easy to envision a situation in the near future wherein Prescott becomes the NFL’s highest-paid player of all time.

A reason that the Cowboys seem to be a step behind the rest of the league on getting these new deals done could be Jones’ father, Jerry Jones. The elder Jones acts as the team’s owner, president, and general manager. This is of note due to what seems to be Dallas’ view on the salary cap affecting negotiations.

Watkins reports that Jones fears that the league’s monopoly case with DirecTV could affect the NFL’s revenue in the future, ultimately pushing for a reduction, or at least a slower inflation, in the salary cap. Subjectively, this feels like a bit of an empty threat. Aside from the COVID-19-affected 2020 season, NFL revenue has increased at the rate of $1BB per year each year since 2017. Regardless of the result of the DirecTV lawsuit, the NFL has secured broadcasting deals with CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN/ABC, YouTube TV, Amazon, and most recently, Netflix. According to Matt Johnson of sportsnaut.com, the league’s estimated revenue for the 2023-24 season approached $20BB.

Jones claims to know where the NFL salary cap is headed better than anyone else, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. Perhaps he does have information other general managers aren’t privy to, but for now, it projects as a bit of grandstanding in order to excuse a slow resolution to multiple big contract negotiations. With recent offers out to Lamb and Prescott, it seems progress is being made, but there is a lot more work to be done in Dallas.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/24

Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins 

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Martinez had a productive dual-threat career in college, scoring 96 total touchdowns during his time with Nebraska and Kansas State. He joined the Lions as a UDFA last spring, but he did not survive roster cutdowns. Martinez did not see any NFL game action, but he recently boosted his stock in the UFL. The 24-year-old earned league MVP honors while leading the Birmingham Stallions to the championship. Martinez compiled a combined 17:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and led the league with 588 rushing yards.

The top of New York’s depth chart is set with Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor, but rookie Jordan Travis opened training camp on the NFI list as he continues to recover from the leg injury which ended his Florida State career. Martinez’s arrival (and the corresponding departure of Bryant) will allow him to see limited reps for at least a brief period. He could be a practice squad candidate if Travis returns to health in time for the fall, but a strong showing in training camp and/or the preseason could make him an attractive option for other teams.

Cowboys Expect To Extend Dak Prescott; CeeDee Lamb Seeking Top Non-QB Deal?

JULY 26: Walking back his comments about Lamb a bit Friday, Stephen Jones said (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill) the fifth-year wide receiver is not “dug in” on becoming the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback. Not too much wiggle room exists here, as it would stand to reason Lamb will want to collect more than Brown ($32MM AAV, $84MM guaranteed) did earlier this year. This matter figures to come down to how Lamb’s contract compares to Jefferson’s, with a sizable guarantee gap existing between the Eagles and Vikings receiver extensions.

JULY 25: Beginning their training camp, the Cowboys have not completed any extensions with their top players just yet. A report earlier this week indicated not much progress has emerged with CeeDee Lamb, who is holding out. Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are in attendance in Oxnard, Calif., but they join Lamb in one of the more interesting contract quandaries in many years.

Parsons said earlier this summer he expected to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback when he signs an extension, though the Cowboys have some time with the 2021 draftee due to the fifth-year option. Lamb is heading into his fifth-year option season, and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones shed some light on the team’s negotiations with the All-Pro wide receiver. Lamb joins Parsons in angling to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-QB, per the second-generation NFL exec.

[RELATED: The Cowboys’ Contract Dilemma]

While Jones stopped short of naming names (via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins), it is not difficult to learn which players the Dallas bigwig was referencing. Lamb said in January he wanted to be the NFL’s highest-paid wide receiver. The landscape has changed since those comments, with three more wideouts — Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown and Justin Jeffersoncrossing the $30MM-per-year barrier. The guarantees in Jefferson’s record-smashing $35MM-per-year deal ($110MM in total, $88.7MM full) far eclipsed previous records, and they have certainly complicated Cowboys-Lamb talks.

Dallas did not enter serious negotiations with Lamb last year, as the Vikings also waited until Year 5 — the norm for first-round wideouts until this offseason, when DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle received early extensions — with Jefferson. The Minnesota contract moves the bar for the Cowboys, who have never guaranteed more than $40MM (Amari Cooper) for a receiver. In Dallas’ defense, only 10 wideouts are tied to deals that contained $40MM at signing.

Jones called having three players who could set the market at their positions “not easy,” and Lamb could still be franchise-tagged in 2025. Though, the fifth-year wideout is attempting to force the issue by holding out; Zack Martin did so and succeeded last year. A tag is off the table for Prescott, who holds tremendous leverage with no-tag and no-trade clauses. Prescott’s monster cap number ($55.13MM) this year and void years-driven $40.13MM dead money figure for 2025 give him rare ammo to use against a team also dealing with Lamb and Parsons.

Although the ninth-year QB could maneuver his way to free agency fairly easily, Jerry Jones does not believe 2024 will be Prescott’s Dallas finale. A $60MM-per-year price tag has been rumored for Dak, who may soon have more to work with should the Jordan Love and Tua Tagovailoa deals cross the goal lines in Green Bay and Miami soon.

Just to be very specific. I do not think this will be his last year with the Cowboys, at all,” Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota (subscription required). “I want to say if it hasn’t been clear — of how much we appreciate what Dak Prescott has meant to this team in a positive way. The players do play better when he’s out there. He does make his teammates play at a higher level there’s no question about it. So I’m right there in line with his best fan.”

Differing reports have come out regarding whether Prescott or Lamb is the team’s immediate priority. It would stand to reason Prescott would be due to his unique situation, as Lamb can still be tagged. The Cowboys are believed to be set to make their longtime starter a strong offer, one that would drop his record-setting (along with Deshaun Watson and other QBs this year) cap number and give the Cowboys some security.

Prescott prefers to stay in Dallas as well, though the 2023 second-team All-Pro stopped short of guaranteeing his career will unfold entirely with the franchise. As legendary figures like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana and countless other greats have shown, of course, QBs regularly do not go wire-to-wire with the teams that drafted them. Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Tony Romo did, though.

I’m gonna say it. I want to be here, but when you look [it] up, all the other great quarterbacks that I watched played for other teams [than their first team],” Prescott said, via Yahoo’s Charles Robinson. “… That’s not something to fear.”

Prescott, 30, has not been afraid to maximize his leverage; it took three offseasons for him to sign his current four-year, $160MM contract. Hinting at a future departure is not out of character, and the Cowboys will need to make a whopping offer to ensure they keep their former fourth-round find off next year’s market, where a host of suitors would await.