Dallas Cowboys News & Rumors

Cowboys To Classify Micah Parsons As DE On Fifth-Year Option

March 6th, 2024 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

11:19am: The Cowboys may not have made a final decision on Parsons’ positional designation, but the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill indicates a D-end classification will draw a grievance from the defender’s camp. This may end up being a footnote, with Hill adding a Parsons extension is expected to come together over the next year. In the long-running saga of edge rusher positions factoring into salaries, a Parsons grievance would be a notable development.

8:46am: Many instances have come about during the franchise tag era of teams classifying edge rushers as linebackers as opposed to defensive ends, as the former designation saves a bit of money under the tag formula. Grievances have stemmed from these decisions, with compromises being reached on some occasions. The script may flip in Dallas.

This year’s franchise tag and fifth-year option numbers produced a higher linebacker salary compared to defensive ends. The LB tag comes in at $24MM, while the D-end number is $21.32MM. This will pertain to the Cowboys, who have refused in the past to label Micah Parsons a full-on defensive end despite the team regularly lining up the star defender at that spot.

While the Cowboys will make one of the easiest fifth-year option calls in history by exercising Parsons’ 2025 guarantee, the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken notes the team will classify Parsons as a defensive end when picking up the option.

Drafted as a linebacker, Parsons made the move to regular edge rusher fairly early in his career. But the Cowboys had previously pushed back on labeling the 2021 No. 11 overall pick a DE. The team would, however, stand to have a clear runway to label Parsons a DE due to the fast-rising star playing the bulk of his snaps at the position. Parsons played 87.8% of his defensive snaps on the D-line last season. With the Cowboys using a 4-3 scheme, this would not fall under the typical 4-3/3-4 dispute that commonly comes up regarding edge rushers’ tag or option numbers. Because Parsons has three original-ballot Pro Bowl nods on his resume, his fifth-year option doubles as the franchise tag number.

As of now, it would be unlikely Parsons plays the 2025 season on his option. The Cowboys found a dominant defender with that No. 11 pick three years ago, and the Penn State product is on a clear path toward the Hall of Fame. He will command a top-market extension. The option number could play a part in the team’s extension approach, which would introduce a new wrinkle in a process that usually plays out with teams preferring to label an edge rusher as a linebacker for financial purposes.

Since the 2011 draft began the option era, the Cowboys have extended four players (Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott) before they played a season on the fifth-year number. Smith, Frederick and Elliott signed new deals before their fourth seasons. Morris Claiborne and Byron Jones are the only Cowboys to play out a fifth-year option, doing so when it was guaranteed for injury only. Both left in free agency the following offseason. The Cowboys would surely use the franchise tag on Parsons in 2026 if his extension talks were to encounter a snag.

It will be interesting to see if Parsons follows Elliott’s playbook and forces the issue this offseason, though his February stance would not indicate as such yet. Players had more options regarding holdouts before the 2020 CBA changed the service-time requirement in an effort to prevent holdouts, leading to the hold-in tactic as a regular option during negotiations. The Cowboys would have Parsons attached to just a $2.99MM base salary if he is not extended this season.

While most teams wait until Year 5 to extend first-round picks, the Cowboys have made exceptions in the past. However, the team has a big-ticket CeeDee Lamb extension to negotiate this offseason, along with a potential Dak Prescott re-up. It is possible a Parsons move will be tabled to 2025, which would put the ball in the dominant sack artist’s court.

Cowboys Aim To Re-Sign Dorance Armstrong; DE Expected To Draw Interest

March 4th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Adam La Rose

Dorance Armstrong has spent his entire six-year career with the Cowboys, but he is on track to reach the open market. Both Dallas and outside suitors have the veteran defensive end on the radar.

After his rookie contract expired, Armstrong landed a two-year, $12MM deal to remain with the Cowboys. He had produced little as a pass rusher across his first three campaigns in the league, but in 2021 the former fourth-rounder notched five sacks. That helped his value, but it will now stand at a higher rate after he totaled 16 sacks in 2022-23.

Armstrong’s deal voided last month, creating a dead cap charge of $1.5MM in 2024 for the Cowboys regardless of where he plays. The 26-year-old is valued by the team, though, as Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes. Another Cowboys agreement could thus be in store, but Armstrong will likely draw interest if he reaches free agency.

The Kansas product is not expected to re-up with Dallas for a second time, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Armstrong could have a number of suitors given his age and production in recent seasons (which includes 20 tackles for loss and 55 QB pressures over the past three years). A raise compared to his previous pact would come as little surprise, and the Cowboys would not be in position to win a bidding war considering they are currently projected to be $10.6MM over the cap.

Fowler names the Commanders as a team to watch with respect to Armstrong. Washington is now led by Dan Quinn, who served as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator for the last three years. It would not surprise to see Armstrong or other Dallas defenders make the intra-divisional move to continue working with Quinn. Washington traded away both Montez Sweat and Chase Young in advance of the 2023 trade deadline, leaving the team in need of additions along the edge. The Commanders will have ample spending power in free agency, so they could make a healthy bid for Armstrong if they intend to add him to the D-line.

Dallas will likely be eyeing additions along the defensive interior and at the middle linebacker spot this offseason, but losing Armstrong would create a notable absence in the front seven. It will be interesting to see if talks on a new deal can keep him with the Cowboys for 2024 and beyond or if he will find himself in a new environment on his third contract.

Tyron Smith Unlikely To Return To Cowboys

March 2nd, 2024 at 10:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Tyron Smith‘s 13-year stint in Dallas has likely come to an end. The impending free agent left tackle is unlikely to return to the Cowboys, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

This news comes on the heels of yesterday’s report that Smith and the Cowboys discussed a potential return while at the combine. Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Cowboys still have interest in re-signing the lineman, but it’s clear the two sides are “drastically apart in the financial framework” of a deal.

The 2011 first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Cowboys, earning five All-Pro nods and eight Pro Bowl appearances. Smith inked an eight-year, $109MM contract back in 2014 that once reset the position’s market. Thanks to multiple restructurings, the veteran earned only $7.3MM this past season, and the organization opted to not hand him an extension.

Injuries continue to plague Smith’s career; the lineman has missed at least three games each season since 2015. The left tackle missed 27 combined games in 2020 and 2022, and he got into 24 of 34 possible games during his two most-recent “healthy” seasons (2021, 2023).

As we passed along yesterday, Smith and the Cowboys agreed to a new practice regimen that was intended to keep the 33-year-old healthy. The organization has also been willing to tolerate his absences as long as he was available for the team’s biggest games. Smith hasn’t missed any of the team’s four playoff games over the past three seasons.

While injuries are a clear issue at this stage of Smith’s career, the offensive lineman has continued to perform when on the field. Pro Football Focus graded him as the fourth-best offensive tackle this past season, including a position-leading pass-block score. Other than his lost 2020 and 2022 campaigns, Smith has graded as at least a top-20 OT in each of his NFL seasons, and it doesn’t look like he’s showing any signs of slowing down.

Still, considering his age and injury risks, Smith can’t expect to break the bank on his next deal. Pro Football Focus pointed to Terron Armstead‘s five-year, $75MM contract with the Dolphins in 2022 as a comparison. While the former Saints OT had his fair share of injuries at the time of the signing, he was also significantly younger than Smith is now. The site ultimately settled on a one-year, $10MM contract for Smith, which would keep him around the top-20 highest-paid players at his position. If a bidding war develops, the veteran could climb the AAV list, although he may be hard pressed to get a long-term deal.

As for the Cowboys, the team seems to have an in-house replacement for Smith. The team used a first-round pick on Tyler Smith in the 2022 draft, and the lineman has only missed three games through his first two seasons in the NFL. Jon Machota of The Athletic notes that offensive tackle is a likely target of the organization with their No. 24 pick.

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup Facing Uncertain Future

March 2nd, 2024 at 7:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Michael Gallup has spent his entire six-year career with the Cowboys, but his tenure in Dallas could be coming to an end soon. The veteran wideout faces the possibility of being released as part of the team’s cost-cutting maneuvers.

Gallup is a release candidate, Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan notes. Three seasons remain on his current pact, a five-year, $57.5MM deal inked following the expiration of his rookie contract. The former third-rounder does not have any of his base salaries over that span guaranteed at this point, but that will soon change with respect to the coming season. A $4MM injury guarantee is set to vest on March 18, locking in a portion of his $8.5MM salary for 2024.

Dallas restructured Gallup’s deal last offseason, and he is now scheduled to carry a cap hit of $13.85MM this season; that figure will jump to $15.85MM in 2025 and ’26. A release before June 1 would not be feasible given the dead cap charge it would induce ($13.05MM), but moving on from the 27-year-old after that date would create $9.5MM in savings against $4.35MM in dead money for 2024.

Cowboys officials met with Gallup’s agent at the Combine, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. He adds that no decision has been made regarding the Colorado State product’s future with the team, but moving on would create much-needed financial flexibility (albeit not until June 2) in an offseason where Dallas has a number of critical decisions to make. A Dak Prescott extension and monster deals for CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are on the organizational to-do list in 2024 and into the near future. A Gallup release would also represent a cost-shedding move with a complementary element of the team’s passing game.

The vertical threat showcased his ability with an 1,107-yard campaign in his second season, but he has failed to match that production since. Gallup drew 218 targets between 2019-20, but in the three years following that stretch he has received 193. After seeing a relatively steady workload for four years as a full-time starter, he saw his snap share fall to 52% in 2023 (the lowest mark of his career). Moving on from Gallup could allow Dallas to pursue a less expensive secondary WR option one year after being connected to a sizable skill-position addition.

Lamb delivered a franchise record-setting season last year with 135 catches and 1,749 yards. Veteran pickup Brandin Cooks finished second in terms of receiver production, but he, along with tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Tony Pollard saw a larger share of the passing attack than Gallup. One more season removed from an ACL tear, the latter may remain resigned to ranking no more than third or fourth (at best) in the pecking order if Dallas elected to keep him in the fold.

In the event Gallup is let go, Watkins reports he could have a healthy free agent market. A reduced workload has weakened his overall production, but over the past three seasons he has averaged a 36-429 statline while scoring eight total touchdowns. His catch percentage has also remained roughly in line with his career average (55.5%), so he would constitute a known commodity on the open market. The question of if he is forced to find a deal with a new team will be worth watching as free agency approaches.

Cowboys, LT Tyron Smith Discuss Possible Return

March 1st, 2024 at 10:35pm CST by Ely Allen

Left tackle Tyron Smith has enjoyed what is likely to end up being a Hall of Fame, 13-year career with the Cowboys. The biggest issue in Smith’s game over this time, though, has been his availability, as he’s failed to play in every game in a season since 2015.

As Smith, 33, gets older, his health continues to be a main concern in his decision-making moving forward. As a pending free agent, Smith met with Dallas today in order to lay out a plan for a potential return in 2024.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, Smith is definitely interested in playing for a 14th year. The team is currently allowing his eight-year, $97.6MM contract to expire, leading him towards free agency, but both sides will continue to discuss how a return could happen. Team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones spoke with the media following today’s meetings, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“We’ll get in there in the right way and discuss his business and work out something that’s good for both of us. He’s had a great career. He’s a Hall of Fame player,” Jones said. “I can’t tell you how good of shape I thought we were in with him as we got into the playoffs, his health and where he was. Thought we were just where you want to be. And I give a lot of credit to coach Mike McCarthy, him getting it pushed up there to where we had (Tyron) just right as we went into the playoffs.”

Since 2015, Smith has missed 49 out of a possible 131 regular season games. In two of the last four years, Smith missed 14 (2020) and 13 (2022) games in the regular season. Most of the time, the team is happy for whatever he can provide. Despite not having appeared in more than 13 games over that span, Smith has still earned five Pro Bowl berths and has earned All-Pro honors twice, including this past season.

That being said, the Cowboys are willing to have Smith take regular season rest here and there as he gets older if it means that he will be available for the team’s most important games late in the year. Both sides reportedly felt that they had found a practice plan that has helped keep him healthier, so as long as the numbers are agreeable, it seems like there’s a good chance we’ll see Smith hit 34 years old in the NFL next season.

Cowboys To Retain Trey Lance In 2024; Team Will Not Pick Up QB’s Fifth-Year Option

March 1st, 2024 at 8:54am CST by Adam La Rose

Most of the attention concerning the Cowboys’ quarterback situation is of course focused on starter Dak Prescott. His contract status will be worth watching this offseason, but clarity has emerged regarding Trey Lance.

The latter will remain with the team through the 2024 campaign, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. The Cowboys will therefore pay out a $4.25MM roster bonus which is due five days after the start of training camp. In all, Dallas will owe the former No. 3 pick $5.31MM, a figure which notably dwarfs the compensation backup Cooper Rush is set to receive ($2.25MM).

Lance entered the league with considerable expectations given the trade haul spent by the 49ers to move up and select him in 2021. He entered his second campaign atop the depth chart, but a season-ending injury limited him to just a pair of games. Brock Purdy‘s performance after that point made Lance expendable, and he was dealt to the Cowboys in August. Acquired for only a fourth-round pick, the 23-year-old received a fresh start in the process, although he did not see any regular season action.

Today’s news means Lance will be in place for the coming campaign, but Watkins unsurprisingly adds the Cowboys will not exercise his 2025 fifth-year option. Doing so would have locked the team into a $22.41MM salary that season, far more than he will be worth presuming he remains on the sidelines for the foreseeable future. Lance can nevertheless turn his attention to an offseason competition with Rush for the QB2 spot while Dallas continues to work out a deal keeping Prescott in place for years to come.

Rush is on track for free agency in 2025. The former UDFA has made 26 appearances and six starts during his Cowboys tenure, which dates back to 2017. Lance will join him in a similar capacity from a financial standpoint after spending a season as a developmental third option on the QB depth chart. It will be interesting to see if Dallas will again keep three passers on the active roster and if so, which one will earn the backup job during training camp and the preseason. Especially if he wins the No. 2 gig, Lance will have the opportunity to continue the Cowboys chapter of his career through 2024.

Dak Prescott Extension Coming In Spring?

February 28th, 2024 at 10:11pm CST by Ely Allen

At this point, it’s become fully clear that both the Cowboys and the quarterback Dak Prescott are intent on further extending their time together. With that expectation fully established, we can turn our attention to what that could look like and when that could occur.

The Cowboys have no intention of letting Prescott leave Dallas. The Cowboys are likely also not too excited about the $59.4MM hit to the team’s salary cap that Prescott is posed to deliver in 2024, the second-highest figure in the league. Those two motivators are sure to steer Dallas in the direction of an extension and soon. This week is known as an opportunity for agents to get together with team officials at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis to broach such topics.

Obviously, no one is expecting a deal to get done in the next few days, though. Prescott is due a $5MM roster bonus on his current contract come March 18, but the Cowboys are likely more than willing to sacrifice that for a bit more time to craft a new extension. Still, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News claims that the team has every intention “of extending Prescott at some point this spring.” So whatever discussions are being had in the infamous Cowboys team bus in Indianapolis this week should lay the groundwork to get a new deal done relatively soon.

Prescott’s previous four-year, $160MM extension back in 2021 was massive at the time, but nowadays, the deal pales in comparison to the most recent contracts we’ve seen going to passers that are starting to inch towards $60MM per year. Currently, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow holds the league’s highest annual average value at $55MM. Yes, Burrow has led his team to a berth in the Super Bowl to earn that figure, but Chargers passer Justin Herbert is making $52.5MM per year with a regular season record of 30-32 and a loss in his single playoff appearance.

In comparison, Prescott has led the Cowboys to a 74-41 regular season record and five playoff appearances. People will draw attention to the 30-year-old’s 2-5 playoff record and the team’s inability to advance past the Divisional Round, but other quarterbacks have cashed in more with less. Also, despite the lack of playoff success, in 2023, Prescott led his team to their best record since his rookie year and led the league in completions and passing touchdowns. The expectation is that Prescott will once again set the mark for quarterbacks.

With how things are trending, a $60MM per year deal doesn’t seem out of reach. It’s simply the direction things continue to go towards. Yes, the Cowboys have other stars like Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb who will need new deals in the next two years, as well, but unless a team is willing to go back to a rookie contract and start from scratch, they will need to pay their quarterback. The higher-than-expected increase to the league’s salary cap this year makes $60MM a bit more palatable, and future rises to future salary caps make deals with Parsons and Lamb seem doable, as well. Not to mention that a new deal would result in a lower cap hit in 2024 for Prescott, freeing the Cowboys up to make some other moves to improve the team this offseason.

So, we expect conversations to be taking place this week to set the stage for a Prescott extension sometime this spring. And we expect that extension to once again move the bar for paying quarterbacks in the NFL. At this point, it all seems like a matter of time and details.

Cowboys RBs Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle Will Reach Free Agency

February 27th, 2024 at 9:17am CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys made a notable but expected move last offseason by cutting Ezekiel Elliott. The move brought an end to the former rushing champion’s time in Dallas, and it allowed a new group of backs to operate in his place.

The position was led in 2023 by Tony Pollard, who flashed potential as a lead back during his time splitting reps with Elliott. Playing on the franchise tag, Pollard entered the season with considerable expectations, but his production was relatively underwhelming. The former fourth-rounder again reached 1,000 rushing yards, but he did so while averaging 1.2 fewer yards per carry than he did in 2022.

As a result, Pollard’s performance would make a second tag (valued at $12.1MM) a non-starter for the Cowboys. Indeed, the 26-year-old will be allowed to reach the open market next month, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports. The same is also true of backup Rico Dowdle, who has been with the team since 2020.

Dowdle’s role has been a minor one for much of his tenure, but earned the No. 2 spot during training camp last summer. Having seen only seven regular season carries before this season, the former UDFA received 89 in 2023. Dowdle produced 361 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, adding 144 yards and another pair of scores in the passing game. The 25-year-old could search out a more prominent role in free agency, although the list of high-profile veterans at the position will no doubt hinder the market for all involved.

If Pollard and Dowdle both depart, running back will be a position to watch closely in Dallas. The team’s third-leading rusher amongst running backs last season was rookie Deuce Vaughn, who saw just 23 carries. Even an uptick in usage for 2024 and beyond would need to be accompanied by an addition at the top of the depth chart. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry and Austin Ekeler are among the backs set to reach free agency next month, so Dallas will have a number of options to choose from. Of course, new deals for Pollard and/or Dowdle should not be ruled out if they can be retained on cost-effective deals.

NFC Coaching Updates: Falcons, Vikings, Garcia, Glenn

February 25th, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Ely Allen

As the offseason chugs along, teams continue to reconstruct their coaching staffs. The Falcons made a number of moves just before the weekend, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN. The staff continues to take shape under new head coach Raheem Morris.

On offense, two announcements were made on assistants looking to hold over from Arthur Smith‘s staff last year. Rothstein reports that assistant offensive line coach Shawn Flaherty and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer, who each came to Atlanta last offseason, will be retained in their previous positions.

A new hire was announced, as well, with the team naming Jacquies Smith as their new outside linebackers coach. Formerly a seven-year NFL defensive end, the former undrafted player out of Missouri will now accept his first NFL coaching position. After disappearing from the NFL-world for a spell and making an appearance in the XFL, Smith worked with draft-eligible players in pre-draft training. He most recently spent the 2023 season as an assistant edge coach for the Texas Longhorns.

In the front office, the team announced the hires of John Griffin as director of player performance and Rob Dadona as manager of coaching operations. Griffin follows Morris after spending the past three years with the Rams. Dadona replaces Brian Griffin, who departed to serve as Chief of Staff at the University of Maryland. Dadona spent the past five seasons with the Jets, serving as assistant to the head coach for the last three.

Here are a few other staff updates from around the NFC, starting with a couple out of Minneapolis:

The Vikings announced two staff additions this weekend, naming assistant offensive line coach Shaun Sarrett and assistant to the head coach Henry Schneider IV. Sarrett replaces Justin Rascati, who departed for Los Angeles to serve as the Chargers pass-game coordinator. The two essentially swapped places, as Sarrett spent the past three years in the assistant offensive line coaching role with the Chargers. Schneider spent the last five years with the Raiders, most recently as the manager of coaching operations.
The Cowboys added a hot, young name out of Washington to their defensive staff this weekend. Cristian Garcia, who spent part of last year as the Commanders interim defensive backs coach, will head to Dallas as a defensive quality control coach, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Garcia was a name that former Commanders head coach Ron Rivera turned to for leadership after firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Now he’ll join the NFC East rival.
Washington added their own coaching assistant last week. According to ESPN’s John Keim, John Glenn will join the staff as the Commanders’ new assistant special teams coach. Glenn replaces Ben Jacobs, who had served in the same role since following Rivera from Carolina in 2020 but was not retained by the new staff. Glenn changes roles a bit after spending the past six seasons as the Seahawks linebackers coach.

2024 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 24th, 2024 at 9:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL provided clarity to its teams on Friday by setting the salary cap ceiling ($255.4MM). Franchise tag figures have been locked in as well, and clubs can now proceed with their offseason planning knowing exactly where they stand with respect to financial flexibility. Courtesy of Over the Cap, here is the current landscape in terms of salary cap space:

Washington Commanders: $79.61MM
Tennessee Titans: $78.66MM
Chicago Bears: $78.34MM
New England Patriots: $77.96MM
Indianapolis Colts: $72.34MM
Houston Texans: $67.58MM
Detroit Lions: $57.61MM
Arizona Cardinals: $51.1MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $50.67MM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $43.68MM
Los Angles Rams: $43.11MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $42.94MM
Minnesota Vikings: $35.81MM
Carolina Panthers: $34.57MM
Atlanta Falcons: $33MM
New York Giants: $30.8MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $27.35MM
Jacksonville Jaguars: $24.68MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $18.19MM
Baltimore Ravens: $16.63MM
Seattle Seahawks: $12.97MM
New York Jets: $12.76MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $9MM
Green Bay Packers: $2.3MM
San Francisco 49ers: $5.07MM over the cap
Cleveland Browns: $7.76MM over
Dallas Cowboys: $9.86MM over
Denver Broncos: $16.81MM over
Los Angeles Chargers: $25.61MM over
Miami Dolphins: $27.92MM over
New Orleans Saints: $42.11MM over
Buffalo Bills: $43.82MM over

All teams must be cap compliant by the start of the new league year, but it will of course be more than just those currently over the limit which will make cost-shedding moves in the near future. Cuts, restructures and extensions are available as tools to carve out space in advance of free agency. Several have already taken place around the league.

That includes the Dolphins’ release of defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and the planned cut of Xavien Howard. The latter cannot be designated a post-June 1 release until free agency begins but once it happens, Miami will move much closer to cap compliance. The Saints have moved considerable commitments into the future via restructures (as usual), but more transactions on that front will be required even with the cap seeing an historic single-season jump.

The roughly $30MM spike from 2023 will provide unforeseen spending power for teams already set to lead the pack in cap space while also making the task of those at the bottom of the list easier. Spending more on backloaded contracts this offseason at the expense of future space obviously carries risk, however. Still, the news of a higher-than-expected ceiling will add further intrigue to each team’s financial planning.

With Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson each set to carry record-breaking cap hits for 2024, the Cowboys and Browns will be among the teams most in need of working out a deal to lower those figures. In Dallas’ case in particular, an extension would provide immediate breathing room in addition to clarity on his future beyond the coming season. For Cleveland, Watson’s fully-guaranteed deal has already been restructured once and will need to be again to avoid consecutive years of a $64MM cap charge over its remaining term.

If the Commanders and Patriots add a quarterback with the second and third picks in this year’s draft, each team currently in the top six in space will enjoy the benefits of having a signal-caller on their rookie contracts. That would allow for an aggressive approach to free agency, although the Chiefs’ success after Patrick Mahomes signed (and re-worked) his monster extension has proven it is possible to win Super Bowl titles with a substantial QB investment on the books.

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