Cowboys Moves Made Possible Thanks to Classy Contract Decisions by Ezekiel Elliott and La'el Collins
By Jerry Trotta
After officially placing the franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott and inking Amari Cooper to a nine-figure contract, the Dallas Cowboys needed to make some moves in order to free up some salary cap space.
Per ESPN insider Field Yates, the Cowboys have done just that by restructuring the contracts of running back Ezekiel Elliott and offensive lineman La'el Collins.
The Cowboys restructured the deals of both RB Ezekiel Elliott and OT La'El Collins earlier today.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 17, 2020
Any extra cap space adds up when your offseason to-do list includes an extension for Amari Cooper and (potentially) Dak Prescott.
For the 2020 season, Elliott has a cap hit of $10.9 million and Collins' figure is set at $8.95 million. The particulars of the restructuring are unclear, but in these sorts of moves you normally see some of a player's salary bumped to future seasons.
Taking a pay cut to give Dallas more leverage in free agency was truly a classy move by Elliott and Collins, who both signed contract extensions last offseason.
Neat-o. https://t.co/4CUeGJB2pc
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) March 17, 2020
Cowboys supporters will be delighted to hear of this news, as it likely indicates that the team isn't quite finished making noise. Whether that salvaged cap will go towards a potential Prescott extension or another free agent signing remains to be seen, but you can bet the farm that Jerry Jones and Co. are conspiring to make another big splash.