After three consecutive 12-win seasons, the Dallas Cowboys expected their regular season success to continue. Instead, Dallas fell to a 5-8 record with their 27-20 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, effectively ending any remaining playoff hope.
The team’s failures should have been expected after their dormant offseason. The Cowboys allowed contract negotiations to drag on for far too long, and they found themselves with little salary cap room to retain many of their free agents.
After a disastrous 2024 season, the Cowboys are hoping for brighter days ahead. Things may be get worse before they get better, however.
Stephen Jones warns fans of upcoming offseason
Following the owners meetings on Wednesday at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones offered a somber outlook for the upcoming offseason.
“I think we knew we were gonna have a challenge [in 2024] and [2025],” Jones said, per Nick Harris of The Star Telegram. “It’s gonna be really, really tight. We still have some money left over from some guys who are not here today, and we’re gonna have some other guys that won’t be here in the future that you’re still gonna have their cap count.”
Dallas currently has $9.28 million in dead money for the 2025 salary cap, but that number will spike with the departures of guard Zack Martin, defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, and others. While restructuring contracts can help alleviate some of the financial burden, that’s exactly what led to the Cowboys incoming dead money charges in the first place.
“We’re always working behind the curtains and thinking about those types of things,” Jones said about offseason decision-making. “Everything we’re doing right now and how it affects next year.”
It doesn’t help that All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons will be looking for a market-setting deal this offseason. There are 24 players on the current roster who are scheduled to be free agents, and the Cowboys can’t afford to just let them all walk like they did this with their free agents past offseason.
Inevitably, it all adds up to another offseason of the Cowboys losing more players than they retain, and finding few external free agents that will make a difference. At this point, the team appears to be on a downward trajectory.
