Here's Why the Cowboys Didn't Trade for AJ Bouye Despite Fan Outrage
By Will Coleman
When the Denver Broncos traded for Jacksonville Jaguars defensive back A.J. Bouye on Tuesday, Dallas Cowboys fans felt like their team missed out on a major chance to upgrade their defense.
It's not that simple, though, as always. The Cowboys have so much more on their minds this offseason and, realistically, Bouye's contract makes a fourth-rounder seem like the least important part of this deal.
A.J. Bouye Contract
Bouye is scheduled to make a base salary of $13 million annually over the next two seasons, which includes a $27 million cap hit.
As talented as he is, Bouye's current contract structure is a bit excessive. The 28-year-old is making as much annually as Stephon Gilmore, and just a little less than stars like Patrick Peterson (as well as the ever-controversial Josh Norman, a cautionary tale for paying solid CBs superstar money).
It would be an understatement to say that Bouye is overpaid. He's had difficultiy replicating his dominant 2017 campaign in which he notched six interceptions, and that's why Jacksonville was looking to get rid of him. The Jaguars could only turn him for a fourth-round draft pick because the Broncos were brave enough to take on his massive contract.
The #Jaguars had a lot of interest in A.J. Bouye, who goes to Denver for a 2020 4th-round pick (as @AdamSchefter said) in a deal that clears $13 million in cash and over $11.4M in cap space off the books this year for Jacksonville. https://t.co/6O50YgTb00
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 3, 2020
If not for Denver, Bouye could have just been released by Jacksonville, and that's where Dallas would have stepped in. The Cowboys never had the means of acquiring Bouye; they were instead likely waiting for his release to sign him to a more fitting contract.