With DeMarcus Lawrence’s deal done, who gets the next big contract from the Cowboys?
The Dallas Cowboys had a pecking order in what was expected to be an off-season of contract extensions.
It was unlikely they could get to them all.
But there was never any debate that defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence was the top priority.
Now that Lawrence has been signed to the richest annual contract in franchise history (five years, $105 million, including a team-record $65 million in guaranteed money) the question turns to who gets to back up a Brinks truck to the team’s headquarters at the Star in Frisco, next?
Receiver Amari Cooper and quarterback Dak Prescott top the list and are likely to get done after the 2019 NFL Draft.
With roughly $14 million in salary cap room after the Lawrence deal, here is a breakdown of the next five players the Cowboys could sign to extensions.
1. WR Amari Cooper
Cooper is under contract for $13.9 million for 2019 in the last year of the rookie deal he signed with the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys want to sign him long-term. That was the plan when they traded for him. It is understood it will have to be a deal that averages at least $16 million annually. Getting Cooper done will lower his cap figure, giving them more money to get something done with Dak Prescott.
2. QB Dak Prescott
Prescott is in the last year of a rookie deal that he has outperformed since the Cowboys lucked into him in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. The Cowboys don’t have to get a deal done now but they want to because they feel Prescott deserves it. When it happens, look for Prescott get more money than anyone in Cowboys history. It will be between $27 million-$30 million annually while topping Lawrence in guaranteed money.
3. RB Ezekiel Elliott
Elliott is going to be the toughest decision the Cowboys have to make over the next few weeks and months. The fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Elliott has been the team’s most indispensable player over last three years, winning two NFL rushing titles. He has two years left on his rookie deal but he wants his extension now while he is still in the prime of his career. If everyone else gets paid and Elliott is left hanging, it could become a problem. The Cowboys say they plan to reward Elliott. The question is when?
4. CB Byron Jones
After a Pro Bowl season in his first year at cornerback, Jones was also hoping to cash in heading into the final year of his rookie contract. He certainly could have been considered for an extension but that was before he underwent hip surgery that will keep him out until the start of the season. He will have to prove himself all over again. Perhaps, the Cowboys could get something done with him during the season but it will be on their team-friendly terms, not his.
5. LB Jaylon Smith
Smith is up next after a breakout season in 2018. He showed he was finally healthy from the horrific knee injury he suffered in his final game at Notre Dame. A sure top-10 pick, Smith fell to the Cowboys in the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft. With another great season in the middle, he will cash in after the 2019 season, either with the Cowboys or somewhere else. If the goal is to keep him together with 2018 rookie sensation Leighton Vander Esch, then the Cowboys will have to pay up.
This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 12:42 PM.
