Latest news with #BloggingTheBoys
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Cap Threatened By Massive $85 Million Tyler Smith Contract Prediction
Cowboys Cap Threatened By Massive $85 Million Tyler Smith Contract Prediction originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Offensive lineman Tyler Smith was snubbed from CBS Sports' list of the top 25 players under 25 years old in the NFL. However, that does not deflate the sky-high belief that the Dallas Cowboys have in their 2022 first-round pick. Advertisement Upon joining "America's Team", Smith moved from tackle to guard, nestling in nicely on the left side of the line - the opposite side of the center from All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Zack Martin. Smith has channeled all the knowledge poured into him by Martin into a stellar start to his career, highlighted by an All-Pro finish in his second season protecting prized quarterback Dak Prescott. Rankings be damned ... Tyler Smith, 24, is among the best interior offensive lineman in the NFL, and certainly among those his age. Now with Martin retired, Smith is ushered into a unique leadership opportunity to be the physical and emotional anchor of the O-line. Advertisement He's also approaching a massive payday to prove that worth. One that could see Smith compensated at a near top-of-the-market price. Blogging the Boys predicted Smith's extension to follow the trend of the recent explosion in offensive guard value, which could put the Cowboys in deep waters. "With the guard market really expanding and teams taking care of their players early, four-year extensions seem to be the blueprint at the position," writer Rohan Chakravarthi noted. Chakravarthi projects Smith to receive a massive four-year, $85 million contract with $53 million guaranteed. As of right now, that average annual salary of $21 million would be the second-richest contract for an offensive guard in the entire NFL. The guaranteed total would also rank in the top 10 of all offensive lineman. Advertisement Take that for rankings. Obviously, this won't be easy. But Dallas has already taken the preliminary steps to prepare for this type of investment. This offseason, the Cowboys picked up Smith's fifth-year option for 2026, locking him down in Big D for at least the next two seasons. "The good news for Dallas is that they can spread the cap hit over six possible years, given that Smith would have the two years on his rookie deal remaining, plus the four extension years on his overall deal," Chakravarthi added. But that's if the Cowboys get a deal done now ... and judging by their pace in progressing a Micah Parsons extension, that is unlikely. Advertisement Still, as Smith approaches the extension window, it is in owner Jerry Jones' best interest to secure him long-term amid the other looming cap gymnastics Dallas must navigate in coming years. Smith is joined by standout contributors like Parsons, DaRon Bland, Brandon Aubrey and newcomer George Pickens in line for a new deal. Aside from Micah - who Cowboys fans have been praying reaches an inevitable agreement soon - Smith is the priority. He is certainly deserving of the figure, but this extraordinary prediction further emphasizes the pressure the Cowboys' front office will be under in managing this deal - among others. Related: Cowboys Can't Waste 'Blow It Up' Plan Under New Coach Related: Cowboys' Superstars Still Looking Up at Eagles in NFC East This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cowboys cap strategy must evolve to keep contending
Cowboys cap strategy must evolve to keep contending originally appeared on Athlon Sports. If you're serious about contending, it's time to start keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. As highlighted by Blogging The Boys, Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys are drastically behind the league's elite in both total void-year spending and the number of high-salary players on their roster. The Eagles lead the NFL with a staggering $452 million in void-year allocations — a strategy that has allowed them to maintain one of the deepest rosters in football. Advertisement In contrast, the Cowboys rank 16th with just $44 million in future void years, most of it tied up in Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Philadelphia also has 10 players making at least $10 million annually, while Dallas has just five. The difference isn't necessarily about being "cheap''; it's about refusing to use every tool (or loophole) available to win now. The best teams in the league have figured it out. The salary cap isn't a hard ceiling; it's a strategy game. You can manipulate the cap through void years, restructures, and deferred money ... all with the understanding that the NFL dollar is ever inflating. The cap is fake today and real tomorrow ... but is not a team-building restriction. Advertisement Rather, it is simple accounting. And it's something we've been saying for years. The Cowboys have slowly shown signs of a 'changing of the guard' in how they approach cap management, but complacency or old-fashioned thinking or maybe frugality still looms to a degree. In a family-run front office, there's no pressure from ownership to push harder. ... because of course here, "the front office'' and "ownership'' are one in the same. That's exactly why fans must keep applying it. (For whatever good that does.) Micah Parsons, Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, and George Pickens are next in line and the Cowboys could quickly shrink the "talent gap" in the NFC with those specific extensions. Advertisement Get ahead of the ever-increasing positional market that also parallels with the ever-ballooning cap. Push some money into future void years and trust the cap growth. Do it now. For years, the Cowboys have leaned on in-house superstar retention, cheap labor and compensatory picks as the foundation of their roster-building philosophy. And to a degree, it's worked — they draft well, they find value, and they stay under budget. But there's a ceiling to that approach. ... as exhibited by the fact that they win regular-season games ... and nothing more. You can't build a Super Bowl roster on rookie deals alone. At some point, you have to pay to keep your homegrown stars and you have to supplement that core with proven, high-priced talent. Advertisement Comp picks are nice — but banners aren't raised for mastering the comp pick formula. They're raised for winning in January and February. And that requires financial aggression, not financial caution. The league is evolving — and if the Cowboys truly want to stop spinning their wheels, they need to spend like contenders and exploit every modern cap tool available. Related: Cowboys Get Major News On New Cap Announcement Related: Cowboys George Pickens Must Move To 'Mojo' From 'Misfit' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
