Tuesday has proven to be a hectic day at The Star.
Dallas Cowboys
Several changes have been implemented that affect both the composition of the team’s roster and their financial records as the new league year swiftly approaches. Starting from next Monday, all 32 NFL franchises will legally be able to negotiate with each other’s impending free agents. Although deals can’t officially be finalized until next Wednesday, the flurry of commitments could leave anyone feeling overwhelmed.
As a consequence of the transactions made on Tuesday, the Cowboys will participate in certain games. They now possess approximately $15.7 million in salary-cap room for the 2025 season and can generate even more.
To ensure their top asset remained unaware of any unrealistic proposals, the Dallas Cowboys have been diligently working towards extending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. Selected in the third round of the 2021 draft, he was considered the key player at his position this year. However, they reached an agreement on Tuesday.
a four-year extension worth $20 million annually
. Dallas similarly welcomed back two cost-effective veterans,
star special teams player CJ Goodwin
and
backup safety Juanyeh Thomas
, who became an exclusive-rights free agent after just two years with the team.
Although the former two signings have a lesser effect on the 2025 salary cap, the addition of Odighizuwa necessitated the Cowboys to generate extra room. This led to the CeeDee Lamb contract extension for 2024 being put into play.
On Tuesday, the Cowboys decided to execute CeeDee Lamb’s contract restructure, which was part of their plan since signing him prior to the previous summer’s training camp. The deal extends until 2028 with an additional four void years attached at the conclusion. These added years enable the franchise to utilize restructuring methods along with option bonuses for keeping Lamb well-paid annually without significantly affecting the yearly salary cap.
The base salary for Lamb is $26.85 million.
has been reduced precisely as forecasted by Cowboys Wire, totaling $1.85 million, which allows for $25 million to be distributed equally across five years. This move led to $20 million in savings on the salary cap.
Odighizuwa’s new agreement will pay him $22.25 million in cash for this year, with much of it coming from a $20 million signing bonus that is distributed equally over five years under the salary cap rules. The cap charge associated with his contract utilizes $6.25 million of the room made available by Lamb’s restructuring.
The specific details regarding the financial terms of CJ Goodwin’s contract have not been revealed; however, it is widely expected to be a one-year agreement at the veteran’s minimum salary, amounting to $1.255 million against the cap. Since Thomas qualifies as an exclusive rights free agent, he will receive the league-minimum for his third year, which stands at $1.03 million. Combined, these contracts will consume approximately $8.5 million from the Dallas Cowboys’ salary cap.
By adding the $20 million from Lamb’s restructuring to their existing funds under the league’s $279.2 million salary cap, Dallas will have approximately $15.7 million available for the remainder of this week and going forward.
They still have the ultimate ace up their sleeve, the pre-planned restructure of Dak Prescott’s contract that can garner them another $36 million in space.
The article initially appeared on Cowboys Wire.
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