Jerry Jones is ready to re-enter free agency.<\/p>\n
After some noticeably quiet offseasons in which the Cowboys prioritized retaining their own talent rather than signing free agents, Dallas\u2019 owner said he\u2019s ready to open his wallet.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could see me being aggressive, I could see us being aggressive in free agency,\u201d Jones said Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. \u201cI would bet that we will spend more money in free agency than we have.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2025 season marked the 30th without a title \u2014 or even an NFC Championship game appearance \u2014 and Jones made it clear Friday that the drought is eating at him.<\/p>\n
Jerry Jones before Super Bowl 2026. Greg Chow\/Zuma \/ SplashNews.com<\/p>\n
After three straight playoff appearances spanning the 2021-23 seasons, Dallas has now missed the postseason in each of the last two years.<\/p>\n
Jones did what he could to keep Dallas\u2019 core together by retaining star quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on massive deals, among other retentions, but has not doled out monster contracts to free agents in the hope of fortifying other areas of the roster.<\/p>\n
Those holes have ultimately burned Dallas, particularly on defense this past season in a 7-9-1 campaign.<\/p>\n
Dallas yielded a league-worst 30.1 points per game this past season, leading to the firing of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, while ranking 30th in yards allowed per game.<\/p>\n
Some top free agents who could help Dallas include edge rushers Jaelan Phillips and Trey Hendrickson, plus linebacker Devin Lloyd.<\/p>\n
\u201cI look at where we are with Dak and I look at where he is in his career. And I look at some of the pluses that we have on our front and what we think we can do there. And what we can do with (George) Pickens\u00a0and Lamb and what we can do with our running back that we just signed (Javonte Williams)<\/a>,\u201d Jones said, per ESPN<\/a>. \u201cI want to do everything we possibly can to stop somebody and to basically win some third downs more than we did last year. \u2026 I think that would be the area that you would see me bust the budget. Where you would see me do that is what we\u2019re doing defensively.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I would expect anybody that\u2019s a Cowboy fan or a critic of the Cowboys to say, \u2018Duh, that\u2019s not hard to see, Jerry, to do.\u2019 But I guess what I\u2019m doing is saying, yes, I intend to do that if given the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n To make some notable moves, Dallas will first have to clear salary-cap space, as the franchise is projected to be roughly $56 million over the $301 million limit set for 2026, according to Over The Cap<\/a>.<\/p>\n Brian Schottenheimer just completed his first season with Dallas. AP<\/p>\n Jones told reporters he will restructure some contracts to free up some spending for this offseason. ESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter reported<\/a> that Dallas will rework Prescott, Lamb and guard Tyler Smith\u2019s deals to create $66 million in cap space.<\/p>\n The Cowboys will also have two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, No. 12 and No. 20, the latter from Green Bay due to the Micah Parsons trade.<\/p>\n