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To quote famed 21st century philosopher Joseph Cartegena, "Yesterday's price is not today's price." It is, indeed, certified, Fat Joe. What it cost to sign a free agent, 10, 5 even just one year ago, does not fly in 2025. With the salary cap making insane leaps every year, and teams still having the same 53-man roster limits, the price of signing players goes up and up as billionaire owners make money hand over fist from television rights and gambling revenue.
For the Dallas Cowboys, the world's most valuable sports franchise, they spend most of that salary cap space on internal free agents, but this year have expanded their pursuit of role players to bring in a whopping 10 new faces for 2025. They all have a cost, either financially or by taking up draft compensation, with the latter occurring via trade or in the new addition impacting the compensatory pick formula.
Here's a review of how what is publicly known about how each of the new additions impacts the club's cap space and/or draft hauls. Salary and comp pick information comes from the top NFL resource on the topic, Over The Cap.
Dallas acquired Murray and a seventh-round pick (No. 239) in exchange for a sixth-round pick (No. 188). He comes over with one year remaining on his deal, $1 million in guarantees, another $760,000 in various bonuses and will cost Dallas $7.66 million against the cap.
Jones signed as a free agent with Dallas on a one-year, $3.75 million deal. $3 million of that is guaranteed. Jones' contract value slots him as a seventh-round compensatory free agent, and he currently cancels out the pick Dallas would've received for losing Chuma Edoga.
Williams comes over from Denver on a one-year, $3 million contract of which $1 million is guaranteed via signing bonus and $500,000 is a likely-to-be-earned bonus, so it all counts against the cap. His contract value is low enough that he does not count in the comp pick formula.
The eight-year veteran checks in on a two-year deal for $6 million, with a $1.5 million signing bonus as his only guaranteed money. Almost all of his $500,000 game-day bonuses are LTBE, so his cap hit stands at $2.72 million for 2025. His value also does not qualify him to be in the comp pick formula.
Dallas acquired Elam from the Buffalo Bills in a trade, along with a sixth-round selection (No. 204), in exchange for one of their fifth rounders this season (No. 170), and a seventh rounder in 2026. Still on his rookie contract, his final-year salary is guaranteed at $2.57 million for 2025.
Read: Cowboys assign jersey numbers to newcomers
Turner was a free agent from New Orleans, who checks in under the comp-pick threshold at one-year for $2.47 million.
Sanborn was a non-tendered restricted free agent from Chicago, so he doesn't qualify for the comp pick formula regardless of his new deal, which checks in under the threshold anyway at one year, $1.5 million
The specific figures for Fowler's return to Dallas are unknown, but the basics are available. ESPN's Todd Archer reports that Fowler's deal is for $6 million in base salary, with up to another $2 million in incentives. Fowler landed on 10 sacks in 2024, so much of that is probably going to count against the cap as LTBE. Regardless, the top amount being $8 million would slot him in at a comp-pick value of a sixth rounder, currently cancelling out the pick the Cowboys would receive for losing edge Chauncey Golston.
Sanders' one-year, $1.34 million deal is almost fully guaranteed, but nowhere near enough to have him included in the comp pick formula.
The one true unknown amongst the Cowboys' additions, Campbell's contract value is still a mystery. He's signed for one year, though, and only made league minimum last year with the Eagles where he made just six catches. It's hard to imagine anything much higher than another league minimum deal and no comp pick value.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Free Agency: Dallas Cowboys have spent $34M in cap space, lost 3 picks
Continue reading...
For the Dallas Cowboys, the world's most valuable sports franchise, they spend most of that salary cap space on internal free agents, but this year have expanded their pursuit of role players to bring in a whopping 10 new faces for 2025. They all have a cost, either financially or by taking up draft compensation, with the latter occurring via trade or in the new addition impacting the compensatory pick formula.
Here's a review of how what is publicly known about how each of the new additions impacts the club's cap space and/or draft hauls. Salary and comp pick information comes from the top NFL resource on the topic, Over The Cap.
Linebacker Kenneth Murray
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Dallas acquired Murray and a seventh-round pick (No. 239) in exchange for a sixth-round pick (No. 188). He comes over with one year remaining on his deal, $1 million in guarantees, another $760,000 in various bonuses and will cost Dallas $7.66 million against the cap.
Right guard Robert Jones
Jones signed as a free agent with Dallas on a one-year, $3.75 million deal. $3 million of that is guaranteed. Jones' contract value slots him as a seventh-round compensatory free agent, and he currently cancels out the pick Dallas would've received for losing Chuma Edoga.
Running Back Javonte Williams
Williams comes over from Denver on a one-year, $3 million contract of which $1 million is guaranteed via signing bonus and $500,000 is a likely-to-be-earned bonus, so it all counts against the cap. His contract value is low enough that he does not count in the comp pick formula.
Defensive lineman Solomon Thomas
The eight-year veteran checks in on a two-year deal for $6 million, with a $1.5 million signing bonus as his only guaranteed money. Almost all of his $500,000 game-day bonuses are LTBE, so his cap hit stands at $2.72 million for 2025. His value also does not qualify him to be in the comp pick formula.
Cornerback Kaiir Elam
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Dallas acquired Elam from the Buffalo Bills in a trade, along with a sixth-round selection (No. 204), in exchange for one of their fifth rounders this season (No. 170), and a seventh rounder in 2026. Still on his rookie contract, his final-year salary is guaranteed at $2.57 million for 2025.
Read: Cowboys assign jersey numbers to newcomers
Edge rusher Payton Turner
Turner was a free agent from New Orleans, who checks in under the comp-pick threshold at one-year for $2.47 million.
Linebacker Jack Sanborn
Sanborn was a non-tendered restricted free agent from Chicago, so he doesn't qualify for the comp pick formula regardless of his new deal, which checks in under the threshold anyway at one year, $1.5 million
Edge Rusher Dante Fowler
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The specific figures for Fowler's return to Dallas are unknown, but the basics are available. ESPN's Todd Archer reports that Fowler's deal is for $6 million in base salary, with up to another $2 million in incentives. Fowler landed on 10 sacks in 2024, so much of that is probably going to count against the cap as LTBE. Regardless, the top amount being $8 million would slot him in at a comp-pick value of a sixth rounder, currently cancelling out the pick the Cowboys would receive for losing edge Chauncey Golston.
Running back Miles Sanders
Sanders' one-year, $1.34 million deal is almost fully guaranteed, but nowhere near enough to have him included in the comp pick formula.
Wide receiver Parris Campbell
The one true unknown amongst the Cowboys' additions, Campbell's contract value is still a mystery. He's signed for one year, though, and only made league minimum last year with the Eagles where he made just six catches. It's hard to imagine anything much higher than another league minimum deal and no comp pick value.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Free Agency: Dallas Cowboys have spent $34M in cap space, lost 3 picks
Continue reading...
