Dallas Cowboys: CBA ratification a blessing in disguise
The Dallas Cowboys seemed to be in a holding pattern while waiting on the players to vote on the CBA proposal. With it passing that should change quickly.
The Dallas Cowboys have been working to get both of their big free agents signed but had to deal with problems on two fronts. The first, not knowing how much money they would actually have to spend due to the CBA negotiations.
With the second being the CBA potentially leaving them with only the franchise tag to use on a player instead of both the franchise tag and transition tag. Those two reasons seem to have really caused the Dallas Cowboys to slow-walk these negotiations with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Well, now that the CBA has been ratified, the Cowboys know that they can only tag on one of these players, either franchise or transition, but not both. They also know how much salary cap money they have to work to get both Prescott and Cooper signed as well as all the other free agents they have been working behind the scenes to get under contract. That is why I believe this is a blessing in disguise for owner Jerry Jones and vice president of player personnel Stephen Jones.
The Cowboys know how much money they now have to play with but now so do the player’s agents, and they are going to want to make sure that their client gets paid as soon as possible. But the real news that Dallas should be excited about is that the new CBA gives the Cowboys the ability to negotiate contracts without having to worry about the 30% rule. That means the Cowboys have the ability to backload or front load contract money without limitations.
According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News …
"“Ratification of new CBA frees the Cowboys from the 30% rule when negotiating player contracts, such as QB Dak Prescott’s potential extension. More freedom when structuring any offer and its cash flow. Team had been sitting at a light this offseason. It just turned green.”"
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That ability to sidestep the 30% rule may have just given the Dallas Cowboys the ability to now present both Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper with the contracts they are looking for while protecting the team with longer deals. This should also allow the players themselves to save face and be able to say that they are receiving two of the largest contracts at their positions at the same time.