As things stand, the Dallas Cowboys currently boast one of the NFL’s highest payrolls — third, to be exact. That’s concerning for a club that missed the playoffs in 2025 and enters the offseason with plenty of needs on both sides of the ball.
The Cowboys’ financial situation puts them in a tough spot to make meaningful upgrades. They’ve thrown a lot of cash around in recent seasons, and it’s finally coming back to bite them. How longtime Dallas owner and de facto general manager Jerry Jones proceeds to dig his squad out of this hole will be a fascinating storyline to monitor.
Dallas could take the conventional route in cutting players under contract to shed salary. However, they can also go a bit off the beaten path and save money without releasing anyone by restructuring deals. The latter option would take some selflessness from a few of the Cowboys’ franchise centerpieces, though.
If Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Smith are willing, the Cowboys can gain nearly $70 million in cap space for 2026, according to Over The Cap.
| Player | $ freed up w/ restructure |
|---|---|
| Dak Prescott, QB | $30.96 million |
| CeeDee Lamb, WR | $19 million |
| Tyler Smith, OG | $17.6 million |
Cowboys could save a boatload of money with just three moves
None of Prescott, Lamb, or Smith, the three highest-paid members of the Cowboys, is going anywhere. They are Dallas lifers through and through, and have a chance to show it by converting payments into signing bonuses.
Prescott alone can give the Cowboys roughly $31 million to work with that they don’t presently have at their disposal. The star quarterback is the face of “America’s Team” and has become known for leading by example. His actions can set the tone for Lamb and Smith to follow suit.
Lamb is deservedly compensated as one of the premier wide receivers in football. Yet, his running mate, George Pickens, who’s notably set to hit unrestricted free agency in March, isn’t. The former can help the Cowboys retain the latter and keep everyone happy with a little bit of cap manipulation.
While the Cowboys have high expectations for Smith, they have a potential leverage ploy. Trading him with a post-June 1 designation creates approximately $24.2 million in cap relief and leaves behind a palatable $3.28 million in dead money. In other words, Dallas can threaten to reroute the standout right guard if he doesn’t want to rework his pact, but that’s a last resort.
