Sources: Cowboys rework Prescott, Lamb, Smith deals, now under cap – Todd Archer, ESPN
The Cowboys restructure several contracts to aid with free agency spending.
FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys have gotten under the $301.2 million salary cap Wednesday by restructuring the contracts of quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and left guard Tyler Smith, according to sources.
The Cowboys were nearly $55 million over the cap before the moves, but the restructuring cleared around $66 million in space.
While the Cowboys are under the cap, they will need more room to be as aggressive
as owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the team will be when free agency begins. The Cowboys have wide receiver George Pickens on the cap at $27.3 million, but a long-term deal would give them more room to spend.
Jones said from the NFL scouting combine the team will rework the deals of defensive tackles Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa, who are scheduled to count $63 million against the cap, to add more cap room.
Brandon Aubrey updates contract negotiations with Cowboys: ‘It’s an opportunity for me’ – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
Dallas will place a second-round tender if no deal is reached.
THE COLONY — Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey believes he’s the best kicker in the world. It’s a belief — a mantra, to use his words — that every elite athlete must possess.
Now, he hopes to be paid like it.
The Cowboys have yet to come to a contract extension with Aubrey, who has been an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in each of his first three NFL seasons. Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones said negotiations with Aubrey began before the start of last season. With less than a week until the free agency negotiation period ends, Aubrey, a restricted free agent, remains unsigned.
“It’s been a journey,” Jones said from the NFL scouting combine last week, “but we haven’t been able to get to a point where we can all agree. Haven’t gotten it done, but we’d love to get him done.”
At that point, there was a significant gap between the sides. The Cowboys at one point had an offer to make Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, multiple people familiar with the negotiations told The Dallas Morning News. It would’ve eclipsed the deal for Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker ($6.4 million), but was under the $7 million threshold. It was also far from Aubrey’s agent Todd France’s request of $10 million.
Talks between the Cowboys and France resumed at the combine. While talks have been positive, they haven’t been enough to complete a deal.
The Cowboys plan to place a second-round tender on Aubrey, which is valued at $5.81 million, according to Spotrac. The Cowboys would have the chance to match any deal signed by Aubrey in free agency, or they would be entitled to a second-round pick if they decided not to match.
Dak Prescott offers post-tag advice to George Pickens – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
George Pickens is the biggest elephant in the room this offseason for the Cowboys.
DALLAS — George Pickens and the Dallas Cowboys will continue their contract talks into the near future, having until mid-July for a multi-year deal to be executed before the non-exclusive franchise tag placed on him becomes binding for the 2026 season.
Dak Prescott is no stranger to the tag, having been the recipient of it on more than one occasion in his prior negotiations with the Cowboys, and that means the All-Pro quarterback can empathize and provide sage advice to the young wideout.
Speaking as co-chair at an annual Children’s Cancer Fund in Dallas, Prescott did exactly that: offered up words of advice for Pickens as he goes through the contract process.
“George loves football,” Prescott said. “That’s the one thing about it. I just want him to know, don’t change your love for football. Don’t get in the business mind of this. You played last year on a one-year [deal] for not even that much, right? So, if you can go $30 [million] or whatever it is now, I think it’s the same thing I got when I was franchised, hey, go do it.
“At the end of the day, bet on yourself. He’s a hell of a player. Hopefully, we can get him long-term and sign that but, if not, I think the way he plays the game, the person that he is, he’ll be just fine.”
The team’s front office and coaching staff have continually made it clear they “want him here” whenever peppered with questions regarding the status of contract talks with the newly-minted Pro Bowler who had a career-best season with Prescott at the helm and multi-time All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb serving as the other major aerial threat.
Cowboys just made a vastly unexpected decision ahead of free agency, but here’s why it makes sense – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports
Brock Hoffman’s days in Dallas appear to be numbered.
The Dallas Cowboys just took us by surprise, and it’s time to make sense of it.
Last week, I wrote a list of five boring but accurate free agency predictions for the Cowboys, one of which was quite simple: Dallas would retain restricted free agents T.J. Bass (guard) and Brock Hoffman (guard/center), be it through a tender or a low-cost contract.
Hoffman, who has 14 starts in the last two years, made sense to me as a second-round tender candidate simply because of his proven play and position flexibility. Now, a return to Dallas is looking nearly impossible.
Cowboys not tendering Hoffman
The Cowboys aren’t planning to tender Hoffman, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. This means Hoffman will become a free agent next Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. ET and be free to sign with any NFL team.
I fully expect offers to come his way.
After all, Hoffman has proven to be a solid starter. He was also a tone-setter known for his aggressive and “nasty” style of playing, often flirting with late hits and shoves. He even appeared to be a good fit for Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams’ offense that preaches violent blocking.
Dak Prescott hoping free agency gives Cowboys ‘a big jump’ – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
Dak Prescott wants the Cowboys to spend big in free agency.
DALLAS – At the NFL Combine last week in Indianapolis, Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said that he could see the Cowboys “being aggressive” in free agency, which begins next week, and the team has “got to go this year” and can’t wait on players that aren’t ready.
It’s a message that his quarterback, Dak Prescott, heard and is excited about.
“Heck yeah, most definitely…” Prescott said when asked if he was fired up about Jones’ comments while speaking at a Children’s Cancer Fund event Wednesday. “Especially when he said… no redshirts.”
“We got a coach in his second year. We had some ups and downs and shined some good moments last year. This is the year that you make a big jump, and getting big time players who can help immediately is a part of that.”
In order to create space to be able to spend in free agency, the Cowboys officially restructured Prescott’s, as well as OL Tyler Smith’s, contracts on Wednesday morning. Dallas is expected to do the same with WR CeeDee Lamb, and Jones said last week that the Cowboys are working on freeing more cap space in their defensive tackle room that features Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark, who are due a combined $64 million at present in 2026.
