In the immortal words of the A-Team’s Colonel Hannibal Smith, “I love it when a plan comes together.” For Cowboys fans who were NOT born during the Carter or Reagan administrations, this is a television reference to the organization of multiple “dominos” which uses timing and kinetic energy to drop everything perfectly into place. Gold chains and a pretty sweet black van were often involved.
Hannibal may not be running things in Dallas but the current organization of this franchise’s contracts is enough to make the late colonel grin with approval.
The Cowboys are known for being hyper-focused on their long-term financial situation. With a keen eye to the future and the upcoming contract demands of their cornerstone players, they’ve refused to max out short-term spending.
Potential upcoming contract extensions for Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs have all been used as reasons why the Cowboys have felt compelled to tread carefully in free agency. All three players threaten to reset the market at their respective positions (Parsons is all but guaranteed to) and all three become free agents in consecutive years (starting with Diggs in 2024).
This inevitability means any multiyear deals Dallas inks for high-end players in free agency will likely bleed into the future market-setting deals Parsons, Lamb and Diggs will soon sign.
It’s no wonder the Cowboys have avoided expensive free agents at receiver, defensive end and cornerback, because two highly paid players at the same position would negatively impact their ability to spread resources and divide experience throughout the roster to other positions.