Patrik: I wouldn’t say that happens often, to be honest, George Pickens being a recent and much bigger example of that. The wait-and-see approach isn’t abnormal for NFL teams after trading for a player. Sometimes it’s not as much directed at the player as it is the totality of the position group and/or the market. I believe the Cowboys are smart to let Winters play out his contract season. Sure, if he has a breakout year in 2026, it’ll cost them more in the end, but the cap goes up anyway, so there’s that. Additionally, they have no clue quite yet how their linebacker room will shake out, so why prematurely commit to Winters before knowing what his role will ultimately be? Will he be the starting MIKE, or will it be someone else? Will he be a rotational piece? Those two roles carry different salaries and guaranteed money in a negotiation, so there’s no point in jumping the contract gun there.
