Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy was among the first to be confronted with the problem that changed the face of the NFL.
His Buffalo Bills were rumbling along with three consecutive AFC titles when owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Bill Polian approached Levy during the 1992 offseason. Polian asked his coach to give him a list of whom he considered his 10 best players.
Levy rattled off the 10.
“Which six are we going to be able to keep?” Polian asked him, “because we can’t pay all of them.”
The Bills won another AFC crown before free agency in 1993. The salary cap in 1994 conspired to gut Levy’s roster. Buffalo has not been to a Super Bowl since.
Throughout the last decade and beyond, the Cowboys have always tried to keep their 10 best players. As a result, they are annually squeezed against the salary cap, which has, of late, made them bit players in free agency. You can’t spend if there’s no money to spend.
That’s forced them to annually restructure contracts — Brandon Carr and Jason Witten in 2013, Tony Romo, Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick in 2014 — thus pushing their financial problems down the road, one year at a time.
The Cowboys have always been more willing to restructure (contracts) than release (players), especially those players whom owner Jerry Jones considered among his top 10. Until this past offseason, anyway.
The Cowboys said goodbye to their all-time sack leader, DeMarcus Ware, absorbing almost a $9 million salary-cap hit in the process. They also passed on re-signing their best defensive player, Pro Bowl tackle Jason Hatcher, who left for a $27.5 million contract from Washington.
Salary-cap dollars will again be a focal point this offseason, regardless of how far coach Jason Garrett can extend this season.
The Cowboys escaped that downward spiral of mediocrity by winning their ninth game Thursday night in Chicago. At 9-4, the Cowboys have their best shot at securing a playoff spot — maybe even a division title — since 2009.
Offense has carried this team to those heights. Specifically, the legs of DeMarco Murray and the hands of Dez Bryant. Murray is on track to give the Cowboys their first NFL rushing champion since 1995, and Bryant already has his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and ranks among the league leaders in touchdowns with 10.
The timing is fortunate for Bryant and Murray and unfortunate for the Cowboys. Both players are free agents at the end of this season and in position to cash in on their dynamic play of 2014.
Both players figure to land contracts that could put them in the top five at their positions. And therein lies the problem for Cowboys money manager and salary-cap guardian Stephen Jones.
All the money and all the stars on the Cowboys are already on offense. Romo, Tyron Smith and Witten all have contracts that place them near the top of the pay scale at their positions in 2015. Romo is on the books for $17 million, Smith $10 million and Witten $5 million.
Travis Frederick and Zack Martin are still being paid first-round draft pick money on their rookie contracts, and right tackle Doug Free, another free agent, has earned consideration for a new contract with the resurrection of his game this season.
But the problem on this team is defense. If the Cowboys again pour all their money into the offense — as new contracts for Bryant, Murray and Free would indicate — how is this defense ever going to get fixed?
The Cowboys started a defensive line against the Bears that included a third-round draft pick, two sixth-rounders and a seventh. And you wonder why there’s no pass rush?
The most dynamic player on this defense is middle linebacker Rolando McClain, and he’s also a free agent at the end of the season. Where is he on the list of priorities for Stephen Jones?
The NFL salary cap was $133 million this season. The Cowboys are already over that figure for 2015 without any money set aside for Bryant, Murray, McClain or Free. And if Jones can figure out a way to re-sign those four, all he will have done is maintain the status quo.
Will that status quo be good enough to compete for a championship this season? We’ll find out in January — if not sooner.
Garrett has finally figured out a way to make the Cowboys a legitimate playoff contender this season. It will be the task of Stephen Jones to keep it a contender this offseason. I’m not sure which one will have had the tougher task.
His Buffalo Bills were rumbling along with three consecutive AFC titles when owner Ralph Wilson and general manager Bill Polian approached Levy during the 1992 offseason. Polian asked his coach to give him a list of whom he considered his 10 best players.
Levy rattled off the 10.
“Which six are we going to be able to keep?” Polian asked him, “because we can’t pay all of them.”
The Bills won another AFC crown before free agency in 1993. The salary cap in 1994 conspired to gut Levy’s roster. Buffalo has not been to a Super Bowl since.
Throughout the last decade and beyond, the Cowboys have always tried to keep their 10 best players. As a result, they are annually squeezed against the salary cap, which has, of late, made them bit players in free agency. You can’t spend if there’s no money to spend.
That’s forced them to annually restructure contracts — Brandon Carr and Jason Witten in 2013, Tony Romo, Sean Lee and Orlando Scandrick in 2014 — thus pushing their financial problems down the road, one year at a time.
The Cowboys have always been more willing to restructure (contracts) than release (players), especially those players whom owner Jerry Jones considered among his top 10. Until this past offseason, anyway.
The Cowboys said goodbye to their all-time sack leader, DeMarcus Ware, absorbing almost a $9 million salary-cap hit in the process. They also passed on re-signing their best defensive player, Pro Bowl tackle Jason Hatcher, who left for a $27.5 million contract from Washington.
Salary-cap dollars will again be a focal point this offseason, regardless of how far coach Jason Garrett can extend this season.
The Cowboys escaped that downward spiral of mediocrity by winning their ninth game Thursday night in Chicago. At 9-4, the Cowboys have their best shot at securing a playoff spot — maybe even a division title — since 2009.
Offense has carried this team to those heights. Specifically, the legs of DeMarco Murray and the hands of Dez Bryant. Murray is on track to give the Cowboys their first NFL rushing champion since 1995, and Bryant already has his third consecutive 1,000-yard season and ranks among the league leaders in touchdowns with 10.
The timing is fortunate for Bryant and Murray and unfortunate for the Cowboys. Both players are free agents at the end of this season and in position to cash in on their dynamic play of 2014.
Both players figure to land contracts that could put them in the top five at their positions. And therein lies the problem for Cowboys money manager and salary-cap guardian Stephen Jones.
All the money and all the stars on the Cowboys are already on offense. Romo, Tyron Smith and Witten all have contracts that place them near the top of the pay scale at their positions in 2015. Romo is on the books for $17 million, Smith $10 million and Witten $5 million.
Travis Frederick and Zack Martin are still being paid first-round draft pick money on their rookie contracts, and right tackle Doug Free, another free agent, has earned consideration for a new contract with the resurrection of his game this season.
But the problem on this team is defense. If the Cowboys again pour all their money into the offense — as new contracts for Bryant, Murray and Free would indicate — how is this defense ever going to get fixed?
The Cowboys started a defensive line against the Bears that included a third-round draft pick, two sixth-rounders and a seventh. And you wonder why there’s no pass rush?
The most dynamic player on this defense is middle linebacker Rolando McClain, and he’s also a free agent at the end of the season. Where is he on the list of priorities for Stephen Jones?
The NFL salary cap was $133 million this season. The Cowboys are already over that figure for 2015 without any money set aside for Bryant, Murray, McClain or Free. And if Jones can figure out a way to re-sign those four, all he will have done is maintain the status quo.
Will that status quo be good enough to compete for a championship this season? We’ll find out in January — if not sooner.
Garrett has finally figured out a way to make the Cowboys a legitimate playoff contender this season. It will be the task of Stephen Jones to keep it a contender this offseason. I’m not sure which one will have had the tougher task.
