{"id":732470,"date":"2026-02-06T02:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T02:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/732470\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T02:44:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T02:44:00","slug":"jerry-jones-says-cowboys-wont-be-afraid-to-bust-the-budget-heres-what-that-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/732470\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerry Jones says Cowboys won\u2019t be afraid to \u2018bust the budget.\u2019 Here\u2019s what that means"},"content":{"rendered":"

SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Cowboys owner Jerry Jones<\/a> said after the end of this season that they wouldn\u2019t be afraid to \u201cbust the budget\u201d this offseason in order to capitalize on what could be the best years of quarterback Dak Prescott. <\/p>\n

What would that actually look like, though?<\/p>\n

Jones, speaking to a small group of reporters Thursday, was asked that exact question by The Dallas Morning News. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe did some things last year that helped us \u2014 really helped us,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBusting the budget would have to be going beyond that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cowboys<\/p>\n

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.<\/p>\n

By signing up, you agree to our\u00a0Terms of Service<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n

As Jones alluded, the Cowboys did do a lot last offseason. They signed eight free agents, including running back Javonte Williams<\/a>, who was the first signing and the jewel of the class. The Cowboys have usually waded in the waters of the second wave of free agency. The agreement with Williams came on the first day of free agency. They also signed defensive end Dante Fowler to a deal that, with incentives, would\u2019ve netted him compensation that exceeded $10 million. The last time the Cowboys did that was a decade before Fowler, when the Cowboys signed free agent Greg Hardy. <\/p>\n

The Cowboys were also active in the trade market, acquiring Pro Bowl wide receiver George Pickens<\/a>, as well as making multiple other trades. Not all of them worked, of course. Cornerback Kaiir Elam started the season at corner, but was waived before the season ended. Linebacker Kenneth Murray started all season, but was scrutinized significantly for his performance externally, making his return to the Cowboys unlikely. <\/p>\n

The Cowboys were undeniably active. That\u2019s especially true compared to how they had been in recent years.<\/p>\n

This year, the Cowboys not only have the capabilities to be active, but they also have the need. The Cowboys need to remodel their defense with a host of new starting personnel<\/a>. They also would like to re-sign Pickens and Williams and potentially defensive end Jadeveon Clowney<\/a> \u2014all of whom will command more money than the Cowboys paid them a year ago. <\/p>\n

The Cowboys currently sit over the salary cap, but have many paths to get well under it. The Cowboys could restructure deals to free up over $100 million in cap space if they wanted. Of course, restructuring doesn\u2019t come without future impact. Jones has often equated that factor to using a credit card, meaning a bill will eventually come due. <\/p>\n

Could they be more willing to pull out the credit card this offseason and bust the budget? <\/p>\n

\u201cYou would expect me to take the improvement last year on available assets to have personnel … you would expect me to use every bit of anything that I gave up to get it. What I mean, [when I say] above and beyond the budget, it would be taken a little bit, if given the opportunity.\u201d <\/p>\n

Prescott and an offense that finished fifth in scoring is the reason Jones said he would be willing to do more than he did a year ago. With Prescott heading into Year 11, there\u2019s a belief Dallas might have to capitalize on their current window, even if it means busting the budget.<\/p>\n

Twitter\/X: @JoeJHoyt<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>Dallas Cowboys to play 2026 regular season game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil<\/a><\/p>\n

The Cowboys last played internationally in 2014 in London, a 31-17 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas<\/a>Cowboys QB Dak Prescott on the importance of giving George Pickens a \u2018clean slate\u2019 in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Prescott said Pickens\u2019 adaptability and talent made it easy to develop their quarterback-to-wide receiver connection.<\/p>\n

\"Philadelphia<\/a>Watching the Super Bowl? Here\u2019s how to snack smarter on game day<\/a><\/p>\n

How to manage sodium, alcohol and portions during watch parties.<\/p>\n

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN FRANCISCO \u2014 Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after the end of this season that they wouldn\u2019t be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":732471,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2066],"tags":[2886,230,1370,229,257,2461,7,467,1274,2883,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-732470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-brian-schottenheimer","9":"tag-cowboys","10":"tag-dak-prescott","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-george-pickens","16":"tag-javonte-williams","17":"tag-jerry-jones","18":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116021396355181725","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=732470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/732470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/732471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=732470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=732470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=732470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}