The Landry Hat » NFL Salary Cap

Making Sense of Tony Romo’s Extension with the Dallas Cowboys

Reid Hanson — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00:10 +0000

Tony Romo’s $108M contract extension (aka The Extension Heard ‘round the World) has elicited a diverse collection of reactions. Supporters and detractors, the media and fans, have all been quite vocal concerning the Romo extension. The dollar amount, the number of years, and even the existence of this deal are all being questioned. Full disclosure in regards to my opinion of the matter: I would have liked the Cowboys to move on with a different QB but because of the specifics discussed below. That strategy just isn’t an option. So let’s start with the contract details…

Contract Details:

Since it’s an extension it only seems right to factor in the current year since the team and the agent also factor it in their negotiations. As a result the contract is really a 7 year $119M contract which averages roughly $17M per season starting in 2013. In my February article, Tony Romo Needs an Extension Now, I asked the Cowboys hurry up with the extension and not to delay the inevitable. If they waited until after Flacco resigned, the market would rise. Unfortunately the Cowboy’s rarely heed my advice and waited until afterwards. Either way I estimated Romo to get somewhere in the $15-$17M range which would be fair market in the Pre-Flacco Extension Era. So to see the actual numbers come in last week, (in the Post-Flacco Extension Era) it wasn’t all that shocking.

$17M per season is nothing to scoff at but it’s also not completely unreasonable. Yet many still question the logic behind the numbers and the decisions made by the Cowboy’s front office. Here are some Frequently Asked Questions regarding this controversial extension.

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The “Renny Rant” — Free Agency Style

Renny Mason — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:00:44 +0000

By the time this article is published, we will be exactly 24 hours into the 2013 NFL free agent frenzy. Barring any unforeseen changes, our Dallas Cowboys will still have only just under $180,000 to spend on potential free agents by that time tomorrow. In other words, don’t expect a “Brandon Carr-like” signing from now until then.

Rather, our Cowboys will merely be spectators for the initial wave of free agent frenzy this year, which will be a far cry from last offseason in which we signed seven unrestricted free agents in the first week or so of the free agent madness. With less than $180,000 of cap space available, our Cowboys can only hope to sign maybe a very cheap veteran or two close to the league minimum with the way our cap situation stands right now. (more…)

Cowboys Salary Cap Fear Is Overblown

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:21:18 +0000

With an accord on a new CBA just on the horizon, many — including myself — have made a big deal over the Cowboys’ prospective salary cap issues. Right now, the ‘Boys have roughly $136 million committed to the current roster and the new cap will be around $120 million. That $136 million doesn’t include draft picks, Doug Free, or any of the other free agents they will have to sign before this season starts. On the surface, it seems like the Cowboys are going to have to make some hard cuts. However, as it turns out, things aren’t as dire as they may seem. In fact, the ‘Boys actually have quite a bit of flexibility under the cap and should be able to address their needs whenever the free agency period begins. (more…)