The Dallas Cowboys certainly didn’t have the 2025 campaign for which they were hoping, ultimately ending the year with a 7-9-1 record to give the franchise back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since a three-year stretch of 5-11 finishes from 2000 to 2002.
Offensively, the Cowboys were one of the top teams in the NFL, ranking second in total yards per game (391.9) and seventh in scoring (27.7). The Dallas defense, meanwhile, was one of the worst units in the league, ranking 30th in total yards surrendered (377.0) and dead last in points allowed (30.1), which is why America’s Team is looking for its third defensive coordinator in as many years, as Matt Eberflus was justifiably fired two days after the regular season ended.
Now, looking at things from a financial standpoint, the Cowboys didn’t have a ton of high-priced talent on the roster, entering the 2025 campaign with just four players with salary cap hits of $10 million or higher. There would have been a fifth, but Jerry Jones traded him to the Green Bay Packers. We’ll give you 11 guesses on who that was, but you’ll only need one.
Two such players were Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, both of whom had solid seasons, with Prescott ranking third among all QBs in passing yards (4,552) and fourth in touchdown passes (30) and Lamb tallying 75 catches for 1,077 yards despite missing several games.
The other two, on the other hand, came nowhere close to living up to their respective contracts, and you’ll see both below. And just for kicks, we’ve thrown another two players in here as well.
Note: All salary cap numbers listed below are courtesy of Spotrac.
Contracts that haunted the Cowboys throughout the 2025 season
Trevon Diggs, CB
- 2025 cap hit: $11,616,014
- 2025 total cash: $8,498,361
Leading the list, of course, is none other than cornerback Trevon Diggs, who ended the 2025 season wearing a Packers uniform after being released by the Cowboys with one week remaining in the regular season.
After earning back-to-back Pro Bowl selections in 2021 and 2022, the former second-round selection was rewarded with a five-year, $97 million extension, but then appeared in just 13 games between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns due to left knee injuries. For whatever reason, Diggs opted not to do his rehab last offseason at the team facility, which prompted the Cowboys to enforce a $500,000 base salary de-escalator for the 2025 season.
There were concerns he wouldn’t even be ready for Week 1, but the one-time All-Pro did end up playing the season opener and the five games that followed, not that he played very well from an overall standpoint. Diggs then missed more than two months after suffering a concussion at his home before returning to play two more games ahead of his release. In the eight games in which he appeared, he was credited with 25 total tackles and one QB pressure, but failed to record an interception or a pass breakup.
Diggs will still cost the Cowboys nearly $5.9 million in dead cap money in 2026, but that’s far better than the $15.5 million hit they would have taken. And things were only going to get worse, as his figures were set to be $20.5 million in 2027 and $21 million in 2028.
Terence Steele, RT
- 2025 cap hit: $18,135,080
- 2025 total cash: $14,010,080
While most might think that CeeDee Lamb had the second-largest salary cap hit for the Cowboys behind Dak Prescott in 2025, that honor actually belonged to right tackle Terence Steele at just a shade over $18.135 million.
Now, we’ll give credit where credit is due, as Steele continues to be incredibly reliable, as he appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the third season in a row and took more offensive snaps than any offensive tackle in the NFL in 2025, with 1,163.
That said, however, his performance left a bit to be desired, as the six-year veteran ranked 52nd among all tackles in penalties (7), 70th in sacks allowed (6), 80th in QB hits allowed (9), and 89th in total QB pressures allowed (52). And among 89 eligible players at his position, Steele’s 63.6 overall PFF grade, his second sub-65 mark in the last three seasons, by the way, ranked just 55th.
The Cowboys now have a big decision to make. Steele is signed for the next three seasons, and his cap numbers in those years are $18.625 million in 2026, $21.125 million in 2027, and $18.625 million in 2028. But they do have an out this offseason, which would cost them $9.375 million in dead money but would also create an extra $8.75 million in cap space. So, it’ll be interesting to see how this situation plays out.
Donovan Wilson, S
- 2025 cap hit: $8,650,000
- 2025 total cash: $7,000,000
While safety Donovan Wilson has been one of the Cowboys’ most consistent defenders in recent years, that certainly wasn’t the case in 2025, as the soon-to-be 31-year-old was one of the big reasons why Dallas allowed a league-high 251.5 passing yards per game.
In 15 appearances, Wilson earned the lowest overall PFF grade of his seven-year career with a mark of 50.8, which ranked 88th of 98 eligible safeties. And the main reason why he received such a low overall mark was due to his career-worst 38.8 coverage grade, which ranked 93rd. The fact that he missed 18 tackles certainly didn’t help things either.
One bad season shouldn’t define all Wilson has done for the Cowboys over the years, but given his age and the fact that he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent, one has to wonder if he’s played his last game in a Dallas uniform.
Kenneth Murray, LB
- 2025 cap hit: $7,419,135
- 2025 total cash: $7,509,135
Not everyone was thrilled when the Cowboys made a trade with the Tennessee Titans to acquire linebacker Kenneth Murray, and the reasons why became evident rather quickly, as the former first-round pick looked lost from the get-go, earning an abysmal 30.0 overall PFF grade in the season-opening loss to the Eagles, which basically set the tone for his season.
Sure, Murray showed some flashes here and there and ultimately recorded the second-most total tackles on the Dallas roster (81), trailing only Shemar James (91). But those flashes were few and far between, as the 27-year-old earned an overall PFF grade of 38.8, which ranked 86th among 88 eligible linebackers.
Breaking things down by category, Murray’s 48.1 coverage grade ranked 57th, his 52.2 pass-rush grade ranked 77th, and his 31.9 run-defense grade ranked dead last in 88th. A $7.419 million cap hit may not seem like much in today’s NFL, but the Cowboys still overpaid in this particular case.
