After shocking most of the NFL by winning the NFC East and a playoff game, the Cowboys were sent home by the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional round. Now they face a number of key financial decisions that set them up for a very fascinating offseason.
Cowboys face difficult decision with Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray
The Cowboys owner discusses what to do about the upcoming free agency of DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant, along with the dilemma of Brandon Carr.
Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas heads into the offseason with plenty of uncertainly with some of the biggest names in football. Running back DeMarco Murray led the league by a wide margin in rushing yards with 1,845 yards, but also in carries with 392. The workload is tied for the seventh-highest all-time for a running back and the most since Larry Johnson set the record with the Kansas City Chiefs with 416 in 2006.
Of the backs who had more carries in a single-season, three came back with another 1,000-yard effort over a full 16 game season. All three -- James Wilder, Eric Dickerson and Gerald Riggs -- had those consecutive seasons over 25 years ago.
While Jones, who was named the Pro Football Writers of America Executive of the Year, is figuring out how to handle Murray, he also faces an extension for wide receiver Dez Bryant. Bryant is one of the greatest receivers in the game and is coming off a massive campaign of 88 catches, 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns. Only 26-years-old, Bryant is going to command plenty of money after three straight 1,000-yard seasons under his belt.
The Cowboys also have other free agents of note including starting right tackle Doug Free, inside linebacker Rolando McClain, outside linebackers Justin Durant and Bruce Carter, and defensive linemen Anthony Spencer and George Selvie.
Jones believes it is possible to keep both Bryant and Murray in Dallas for the foreseeable future, but does not believe it makes financial sense, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.
“Let me put it like this: It’s going to be a challenge,” Jones said. “But is it … financially reasonable? No. Is it possible? Yes. But if you just look at it from the standpoint of dollars and cents it probably doesn’t look reasonable. But then you got to factor in how you get there. But at the end of the day, you do realize it’s going to be costly to have both those players.”
When looking at the salary cap position the Cowboys are in, you can see Jones’ reasoning. Dallas is currently sitting with $13 million in cap space should it be locked in at $140 million in 2015, per Over The Cap. From that figure, the team will likely allot $3 million for draft picks.
To keep both Murray and Bryant, Dallas would need to open up additional space. One easy way would be to cut underachieving corner Brandon Carr, who is slated to make $12.7 million next season. If the Cowboys cut Carr with a post-June 1 designation, they save $8 million in 2015 but will be hit with $7.4 million of dead money in 2016.
Jones is aware of the situation, and it sounds like a strong consideration, according to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
“There’s an issue of going and borrowing some money, borrowing it in the sense of hedging, taking money from future years,” Jones said. “There’s an issue there. Carr played well this year and I’m not as critical of Carr as others. But that’s a lot of money. One thing that we just got to do is we’ve got to make sure that every way we can, we get the value for the money.”
Another avenue for cap space would be to convert Tony Romo's $16 million base salary into a bonus. The maneuver pushes money down the road, but it opens up another $12.8 million for Dallas to work with. The Cowboys could make a similar move with left tackle Tyron Smith, creating another $9 million. The main problem with this? Salary cap issues in the future, something Jones has never shied away from.
Jones has already stated Bryant will not leave Dallas. The owner/president/general manager has been vocal about slapping Bryant with the franchise tag if the player and team can not come to a deal. Should the tag be applied, Bryant would have a cap hit of $12.7 million.
Bryant will likely be looking for a contract in the neighborhood of Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, who each received seven-year deals worth $113 million. The average yearly payout is $16 million on those pacts, and the first-year cap hits were $11.7 and $16 million, respectively.
When all is set and done, Dallas is going to lose some core players. Murray is much more likely to be relocating than Bryant. When factoring in the amount of carries he amassed, the constant turnover of running backs and the prolific play of Bryant, Murray could be out. Dallas also has Joseph Randle, a rookie back drafted out of Oklahoma State last season. Randle gained 343 rushing yards on 6.7 yards per carry, showing nice potential.
See More:
