Primetime money: Can the Dallas Cowboys re-sign Robert Quinn?

Gimmie the Loot

The salary cap space is running out, and Quinn is looking for a decent pay raise. This is going to be a problem for the Cowboys. Let’s look at the value of Quinn first.

As of right now, Spotrac.com lists Robert Quinn’s value as a good amount more than this past season. They see his value at a three-year $35.5 million contract. The $11.8 million average would have him just above defensive end Jerry Hughes and just under defensive end Justin Houston.

That seems like a reasonable contract as far as giving him the money he is worth, while not having him under contract overly long. That way if he by chance falls off, Dallas isn’t going to suffer long-term.

The problem is, that $11.8 million would likely be needed to either sign depth players, or draft prospects. Defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford will hopefully be fully healthy and step up in the place of Quinn.

Robert Quinn has proven himself enough times in the NFL. He can get the job done, and he can get it done well. Any team that can sign him should be thrilled.

A three/four-year contract worth $12 million flat would make sense for an organization as well as for Quinn. He is 29 years old, and he will not be getting any younger. I’m not saying that he is old right now, but by the third-year he would be 32, and NFL players need to be watched at that age.

Not everyone can be consistent for so long. With many players retiring younger, it’s hard to tell how long anyone will play. It’s a safety net for the team to not be on the hook for long, and it pushes Quinn to play at his best.

Robert Quinn sees himself on the outside looking in. His stat line was simply too good for Dallas to be able to retain him. Maybe he should have had a worse season and then maybe the Cowboys would be able to squeeze him in.