Jerry Jones' Cowboys begin "all-in" process, clear $13,000,000 in cap space with Zack Martin's contract
Jerry Jones isn't shy about making his expectations known or the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the 2024 NFL season. He has consistently stated over the past few years that he fully believes that his team is ready to win a Super Bowl with the way they are currently constructed. He feels that the overall roster he has built and the coaching that he put in place are among the best in the NFL.
Backing up his expectations, Jones has said that the Cowboys will go "all in" and do whatever it takes during the 2024 NFL offseason to give themselves their best opportunity to win a ring. This could mean making moves to add even more star players to his already-loaded roster. To do so, he will need to free up some salary cap space.
It was recently announced that Zack Martin is restructuring his current contract, freeing up an additional $13 million for Jerry Jones to spend on players this year. Martin did so by converting some of his salary to a bonus, essentially taking a chunk of his cap number off of the books.
It's unclear if the move is to clear room for a new signing, and with the 2024 NFL free agency period less than a week away, it certainly could be. On the other hand, Jones may be working on creating additional cap space for some of his current players. Some of the biggest stars on the roster are reportedly seeking contract extensions.
Among those players are Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons. While none of them are pending free agents this year, they are all reportedly seeking extensions as their current contracts are running out. All three of them are expected to be among the highest-paid players in the NFL at their respective positions, so Jones has some major decisions to make.
Whether restructuring Zack Martin's contract was to create additional cap space for current or new players, either way, Jerry Jones appears focused on building a win-now roster as best he can. He admittedly wants to end his Super Bowl drought, which is nearing 30 years.
Jerry Jones' Super Bowl drought
When Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he quickly built one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history. He made a shocking trade to send away Herschel Walker for a massive package of draft picks and players, which he used to build the roster that won three Super Bowl rings in the 1990s.
The issue is that Jones has been unable to find the same success since then, including a 28-year Super Bowl drought. In fact, let alone winning another ring, his Cowboys haven't even appeared in another Conference Championship game since then. He will look to end this drought in 2024, as he has been for nearly three decades.