March 17, 2026, 5:05 a.m. CT
For Cowboys fans who were lukewarm on the Rashan Gary trade, there is perhaps a silver (or at least green) lining. It turns out the former Packers edge rusher had to agree to a sizable pay cut in order for the Cowboys to officially sign off on the deal. Gary will make $16 million both this year and next, instead of a scheduled $19.5 million and $22.5 million, respectively. That’s a far more palatable number for the Cowboys, but don’t feel bad for Gary. He got a $13.2 million signing bonus- fully guaranteed- to offset the discount.
Meanwhile, the Cobie Durant signing will help the Cowboys’ CB room in ways you might not have realized, and while you may not know Otito Ogbonnia by name just yet, the new defensive tackle is looking to get onto your radar, even at a position overshadowed by marquee names. And the search for linebacker help continues as the Cowboys have officially pulled out of their initial interest in former Steeler Patrick Queen.
All that, plus a matter-of-fact look at the shockingly simple (and silly) reason why the Cowboys don’t do more in free agency; it’s not an accident. And Troy Aikman is rolling up his sleeves to get busy doing front-office work… but for a franchise that does not have stars on their helmets.
Looking around the division on Monday, we see a veteran wide receiver choose the Giants over the Eagles, Philadelphia gets their tight end back… but what does that mean for the disgruntled A.J. Brown? And Commanders running back Jeremy McNichols will be in the Washington backfield once again.
Around the league, there may be some real doubt about how soon Patrick Mahomes will be ready to re-take the field after his mid-December knee injury, at least according to one interpretation of the Chiefs’ trade for Justin Fields. Darius Slay, who terrorized the Cowboys regularly as both a Lion and an Eagle, is hanging up his cleats for good, and former Cowboys draft pick Nahshon Wright more than doubled his 2025 pay after a breakout season in Chicago, earning a $1.44 million bonus for playing on nearly every defensive snap of the Bears’ year.
Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.Rashan Gary took a pay cut to facilitate his trade to the Cowboys :: ProFootballTalk (Link)Cowboys $5.5M free agent signing bought time, raised floor at key spot :: Cowboys Wire (Link)Otito Ogbonnia on what he brings to Cowboys: ‘You’re gonna see dominance’ :: DallasCowboys.com (Link)Cowboys free agency: Making sense of trades and the hard search for a linebacker :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Link)Size doesn’t matter to Cowboys among 5 takeaways from 1st week of FA :: Cowboys Wire (Link)Cowboys free-agency breakdown: 5 best moves, biggest remaining questions :: The Athletic (Link)The secret behind why the Cowboys are terrible at free agency :: D Magazine (Link)Will Cowboys target these players in NFL draft? Breaking down some of 2026’s top prospects :: Dallas Morning News (Link)Cowboys icon Troy Aikman to continue to work with another NFL team’s front office :: Cowboys Wire (Link)NFC East Free Agency UpdatesDarnell Mooney snubbed Philadelphia Eagles to sign with New York Giants :: Giants Wire (Link)Dallas Goedert to re-sign with Eagles, per report: What TE’s return means for potential A.J. Brown trade :: CBS Sports (Link)Washington Commanders Free Agency: Jeremy McNichols returns for another year :: Hogs Haven (Link)News & Headlines from Around the NFLWhat the Chiefs’ trade for Justin Fields means for Patrick Mahomes injury :: Fansided (Link)Six-time Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay announces retirement after 13 NFL seasons :: NFL.com (Link)Ex-Bears CB Nahshon Wright leads NFL with $1.4 million in performance-based bonus pay :: Chicago Sun-Times (Link)
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