By Brandon George
IRVING — The line will extend well out the door at Valley Ranch.
When this season comes to an end, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will have an office full of players and coaches with their hands out.
Coach Jason Garrett, most of the club’s assistants and at least 15 key players — including running back DeMarco Murray and receiver Dez Bryant — are in the final year of their contracts.
But Jones can’t get caught up in the Cowboys’ 6-1 start and begin handing out contract extensions to certain players and coaches. That could hurt the Cowboys more than help them.
Sip on this: How do you feel when one of your co-workers — someone who works just as hard as you do — gets a raise but you don’t? Does that make you feel valued? Does it make you want to work harder?
For many of us, that’s a hard pill to swallow. That certainly rings true for some of the most competitive men on the planet.
And several of the Cowboys would be impacted. Nine of the Cowboys’ 22 starters in Sunday’s win against the Giants are in the final year of their contracts.
All three of the team’s starting linebackers — Rolando McClain, Justin Durant and Bruce Carter — are among a large chunk of the team playing for a new deal.
The Cowboys are playing for each other and appear to have as much team chemistry as they’ve had at any point during Garrett’s tenure.
The last thing they need is for Jones to give one player a contract extension while making another wait. Or for Jones to give Garrett an extension while the players are told, “Hey, we’ll catch up with you later.”
With so many players and coaches in line for contact extensions, Jones can’t be selective midway through the season and deliver a message that one player is more valuable than the next. That would send a negative ripple through what has developed into a tight locker room.
At this point, who is more valuable to the Cowboys? Murray — the league’s leading rusher by a mile — or Bryant? No matter your answer, it’d be a close vote. So for Jones to give a contract extension midway through the season to one over the other would be hard to justify.
Jones has too often handed out long-term contract extensions based on short-term success. He must resist that temptation.
“I’ve spent more money in happy situations than we could in our lifetimes spend,” Jones said two weeks ago after the win at Seattle when asked about possibly extending Garrett’s contract. “They know I think a lot of them, but we won’t talk business. We won’t talk contracts. There’s nobody that doesn’t understand that when Jason does good, I do good. I’m being like a proud father.”
To Garrett’s credit, every time he’s been asked about a contract extension — and that includes Monday — he’s shied away. He talks about getting ready for the next game. He knows any talk of extensions now sends the wrong message.
Garrett knows the most important thing for him is for the Cowboys to keep winning.
“If you just keep trying to do things the right way, the results on the scoreboard will hopefully take care of itself,” Garrett said. “And that’s just the way I think. That’s the way we try to help this team.”
And that’s the best way to keep the momentum going.
“I hope we have our work cut out for us in the offseason and that we’re coming off a big year and two or three of the players who are up for contracts have great years,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “That’ll be a good problem to have.”
Save those problems for later, however. Don’t create new ones now.
Nothing left after 2014
Most of the Cowboys’ coaches, including Jason Garrett, and several of the team’s key players could be in line for contract extensions. Here’s a look at some of the Cowboys players in the final year of their contracts:
OFFENSE
Player
Pos.
Comment
Cole Beasley
WR
SMU-ex will be a restricted free agent in 2015
Dez Bryant
WR
Among league leaders in catches (45), receiving yards (590)
Doug Free
RT
Can be unrestricted free agent in offseason
Dwayne Harris
WR
Team’s top punt, KO returner; also leads in sp. teams tackles
Ron Leary
LG
Starter will be a restricted free agent in 2015
DeMarco Murray
RB
Leads NFL in rushing at 913 yds., almost 300 more than No. 2
Jermey Parnell
OT
Top backup OT started in place of Doug Free on Sunday
DEFENSE
Player
Pos.
Comment
Bruce Carter
LB
Has picked up level of play since moving to strongside LB
Justin Durant
LB
Leads team with 51 tackles, having perhaps his best season
Nick Hayden
DT
Has started 23 consecutive games for Cowboys
Rolando McClain
LB
Has brought physical presence; 2nd on team with 50 tackles
Henry Melton
DT
Club has a 3-year, $24 million option on him after season
Sterling Moore
CB
SMU-ex has played well in place of injured Morris Claiborne
George Selvie
DE
Was Cowboys’ top returning pass rusher (seven sacks in 2013)
Anthony Spencer
DE
Starting to regain speed, explosiveness after 2013 knee surgery
IRVING — The line will extend well out the door at Valley Ranch.
When this season comes to an end, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will have an office full of players and coaches with their hands out.
Coach Jason Garrett, most of the club’s assistants and at least 15 key players — including running back DeMarco Murray and receiver Dez Bryant — are in the final year of their contracts.
But Jones can’t get caught up in the Cowboys’ 6-1 start and begin handing out contract extensions to certain players and coaches. That could hurt the Cowboys more than help them.
Sip on this: How do you feel when one of your co-workers — someone who works just as hard as you do — gets a raise but you don’t? Does that make you feel valued? Does it make you want to work harder?
For many of us, that’s a hard pill to swallow. That certainly rings true for some of the most competitive men on the planet.
And several of the Cowboys would be impacted. Nine of the Cowboys’ 22 starters in Sunday’s win against the Giants are in the final year of their contracts.
All three of the team’s starting linebackers — Rolando McClain, Justin Durant and Bruce Carter — are among a large chunk of the team playing for a new deal.
The Cowboys are playing for each other and appear to have as much team chemistry as they’ve had at any point during Garrett’s tenure.
The last thing they need is for Jones to give one player a contract extension while making another wait. Or for Jones to give Garrett an extension while the players are told, “Hey, we’ll catch up with you later.”
With so many players and coaches in line for contact extensions, Jones can’t be selective midway through the season and deliver a message that one player is more valuable than the next. That would send a negative ripple through what has developed into a tight locker room.
At this point, who is more valuable to the Cowboys? Murray — the league’s leading rusher by a mile — or Bryant? No matter your answer, it’d be a close vote. So for Jones to give a contract extension midway through the season to one over the other would be hard to justify.
Jones has too often handed out long-term contract extensions based on short-term success. He must resist that temptation.
“I’ve spent more money in happy situations than we could in our lifetimes spend,” Jones said two weeks ago after the win at Seattle when asked about possibly extending Garrett’s contract. “They know I think a lot of them, but we won’t talk business. We won’t talk contracts. There’s nobody that doesn’t understand that when Jason does good, I do good. I’m being like a proud father.”
To Garrett’s credit, every time he’s been asked about a contract extension — and that includes Monday — he’s shied away. He talks about getting ready for the next game. He knows any talk of extensions now sends the wrong message.
Garrett knows the most important thing for him is for the Cowboys to keep winning.
“If you just keep trying to do things the right way, the results on the scoreboard will hopefully take care of itself,” Garrett said. “And that’s just the way I think. That’s the way we try to help this team.”
And that’s the best way to keep the momentum going.
“I hope we have our work cut out for us in the offseason and that we’re coming off a big year and two or three of the players who are up for contracts have great years,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “That’ll be a good problem to have.”
Save those problems for later, however. Don’t create new ones now.
Nothing left after 2014
Most of the Cowboys’ coaches, including Jason Garrett, and several of the team’s key players could be in line for contract extensions. Here’s a look at some of the Cowboys players in the final year of their contracts:
OFFENSE
Player
Pos.
Comment
Cole Beasley
WR
SMU-ex will be a restricted free agent in 2015
Dez Bryant
WR
Among league leaders in catches (45), receiving yards (590)
Doug Free
RT
Can be unrestricted free agent in offseason
Dwayne Harris
WR
Team’s top punt, KO returner; also leads in sp. teams tackles
Ron Leary
LG
Starter will be a restricted free agent in 2015
DeMarco Murray
RB
Leads NFL in rushing at 913 yds., almost 300 more than No. 2
Jermey Parnell
OT
Top backup OT started in place of Doug Free on Sunday
DEFENSE
Player
Pos.
Comment
Bruce Carter
LB
Has picked up level of play since moving to strongside LB
Justin Durant
LB
Leads team with 51 tackles, having perhaps his best season
Nick Hayden
DT
Has started 23 consecutive games for Cowboys
Rolando McClain
LB
Has brought physical presence; 2nd on team with 50 tackles
Henry Melton
DT
Club has a 3-year, $24 million option on him after season
Sterling Moore
CB
SMU-ex has played well in place of injured Morris Claiborne
George Selvie
DE
Was Cowboys’ top returning pass rusher (seven sacks in 2013)
Anthony Spencer
DE
Starting to regain speed, explosiveness after 2013 knee surgery
