So what are your plans for New Year’s Day? Do you have any resolutions? I know it seems like I am a little late to the party with these questions. But we live in Texas, where football is king, and on March 11 at 3:00 pm, the new NFL year begins. So, depending on when you are reading this, Happy New Year!
For Cowboys fans, you should resolve not to believe the hype. Many of you already have, but it doesn’t hurt to double down on the resolution. Perhaps you can resolve to stay resolved. The Cowboys are so popular around the world and such a big television draw that each offseason, “experts” talk themselves into believing that this will finally be the year that the Cowboys get back to Super Bowl Glory. It won’t be. I know that sounds harsh and blunt and negative, and that is no way to go through life, so let me offer this: Jerry Jones is dedicated to changing the way the Cowboys approach the offseason.
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In fact, the philosophical switch has already begun. The hiring of Christian Parker as the defensive coordinator represents change. After finishing last in the NFL in total defense in 2013, Jerry got stuck in a rut as it pertained to hiring defensive bosses. Each of the coordinators had previous head coaching experience, but none had sustained success in Dallas. Last year, with former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus at the helm, the team had the worst defense in the league. Maybe even worse than that, according to Stephen Jones at last month’s NFL Combine. When asked about the defense, the Cowboys co-owner said, “You are what you are, and unfortunately, we were historically bad on the defensive side of the ball.”
Offensively, the Cowboys are in great shape. Having already signed Javonte Williams to an extension, the to-do list is short: 1.) Restructure the contracts of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to create salary cap space. 2.) Sign George Pickens to a long-term deal or slap the franchise tag on him.
When Jerry Jones was talking about the changes the club is willing to make this offseason, he was, therefore, talking about the defense and the overall club philosophy.“Bottom line is this (offseason) is, yes, very important,” Jones said. “They’re right. We want to, while Dak (Prescott) is playing the game and got it down the way he’s got it, we want to get out here and basically do better than what we did this year. So, a combination of those things gives us the incentive to, dare I say it, bust the budget to try to get something done now. Yes. Yes. We’ll do some dramatic things.”
As the previous NFL season ended, the Cowboys were 24 million dollars over the salary cap. But restructuring contracts can create as much as $100 million in room under the cap. When Jerry referred to “dramatic things,” this is what he meant. In the past, the Cowboys have been reluctant to restructure too many contracts at once. In a way, they were saving some of the restructuring for a rainy day. But if Jerry is going to bust the budget, this is how it will be done. Something like if you or I max out our credit cards for a big purchase.
The bulk of that money will be spent on defense, obviously. Expect the Cowboys to be more active in the free agent market this offseason. The money must be spent wisely, but if it is, it can pay huge dividends. Last year, the two teams in the Super Bowl were both in the top five in free agent spending during the 2025 offseason. The Patriots were second, spending over $214 million, and the Seahawks were fourth, north of $191 million. The Cowboys were 17th on the list of spending, but had lots of money in that rainy day account.
There is also the draft to help restock the defense, and those players will not cost nearly as much. Perhaps next month we will spend some time looking at those possibilities. Until then, I remind you, don’t believe the hype. But also remember you need to change only one letter in hype to come up with hope.
Sports columnist John Rhadigan is the host of
The Rangers Podcast on DLLS Sports.
