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Cowboys Restructure Prescott, Lamb and Smith to Get Under Salary Cap

The cap maneuvers give Dallas immediate flexibility for free agency at the cost of larger bills in later seasons.

Overview

  • The team was nearly $55 million over the $301.2 million limit before the moves, which cleared about $66 million and brought Dallas under the cap.
  • Dak Prescott’s base salary dropped from $40 million to $1.8 million, while CeeDee Lamb’s and Tyler Smith’s fell to roughly $1.7 million by converting salary into signing-bonus accounting.
  • The restructures increase future obligations, with Prescott’s 2027 cap charge now projected to exceed $76 million.
  • Owner Jerry Jones said deals for defensive tackles Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa will be reworked to free more room, and George Pickens’ $27.3 million cap figure could be lowered by a long-term agreement.
  • Jones says Dallas expects to spend more than usual in free agency to bolster a defense that ranked last in yards allowed and 30th in points, with needs at linebacker, cornerback, safety and pass rusher under new coordinator Christian Parker.