It was evident that the Dallas Cowboys are one good defense away from making a genuine push, and defensive roster decisions will define how next season looks. But Dak Prescott‘s contract, with the fourth-highest cap hit in the league, might become a hindrance to any potential move. According to former NFL quarterback Tony Romo, the same hindrance might just be what had ignited the Micah Parsons trade last season.

“I think the cap is probably part of the reason that the Micah Parsons trade ended up developing, amongst other things,” he said to CBS.

Dak Prescott’s cap hit is a talking point every single year, and this offseason is no different. The quarterback signed a $240 million contract before the 2024 season, becoming the highest-paid player at the time, and is set to have a cap hit of $74 million this year, the fourth-highest in the league. That figure comes as Dallas enters the offseason projected to be more than $30 million over the cap, ranking among the bottom four teams in available space, a reality that makes any aggressive roster move far more complicated than it sounds.

But whether that played a part in Micah’s departure is something only owner Jerry Jones can answer. It all started in March, after a leadership meeting went wrong, where Jones steered the conversation towards contract talks instead of the actual agenda. What followed were months of public jabs between the owner and Micah, ultimately leading to the edge rusher’s departure.

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Micah held out, wanting a bigger contract, and it’s fair to assume that Prescott’s contract made things a little difficult, but the core of Micah’s departure was Jones painting him as the bad guy all offseason. Add in the fact that the Cowboys were able to solve the quarterback’s contract complexities last offseason.

Still, the broader context matters. Dallas had already committed massive long-term money to Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, and league analysts have repeatedly pointed out that the franchise’s history of delaying extensions has only driven prices higher and reduced flexibility when negotiations finally reach the finish line.

Before the 2025 season started, the Cowboys cleared up $56.6 million in cap space by restructuring Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s contracts, and the quarterback’s restructuring, in particular, cleared up $36.6 million. By that time, the Cowboys’ cap space amounted to $54.3 million. Those restructures, however, pushed significant money into future years, a strategy the organization has been cautious about fully embracing despite technically having the ability to open up well over $100 million in space through maximum conversions.

Thanks to Jerry Jones, the Cowboys have been, time and again, the most valuable franchise in the world, and have rarely witnessed a poor financial situation. Micah ended up signing a 4-year, $188 million contract with the Packers, but it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys not being able to afford that money despite restructuring Prescott’s contract.

The debate, then, isn’t purely about affordability but also roster construction. Paying market-setting deals to Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons simultaneously would have tied an enormous percentage of the cap to three players, a model few recent contenders have successfully sustained.

If that really was the case, though, Tony Romo has called for a sacrifice from Dallas players this season. Romo, who remains confident the Cowboys can still build a contender around Prescott, made it clear that the numbers are difficult but not immovable.

Tony Romo’s solution for the Cowboys

The Cowboys are heading to the offseason in dire need of some reinforcements, and the concerning cap situation might pose a challenge to those ambitions. They’ll need a way to clear up some space, and Romo knows exactly what needs to happen.

“They have a few guys, I think that they can move some of those numbers around. Obviously, if it stayed there, it’d be difficult to bring in a lot of guys. But I think what you do is, you basically say, “I’m going to put some of this money into next year, and I’m going to pay you 30 million this year, and we’ll put the other $46 million in the next year, things like that.””

It will all start with Dak Prescott, of course, who takes up almost a quarter of Dallas’ cap space. But there is a way out. Teams have the option to convert base money into a form of restructuring bonus, which is spread across multiple years. Converting $40 million of Prescott’s base salary could clear up $31 million. Romo emphasized that such maneuvering only works if the organization views its core players as long-term stalwarts, because once money is pushed forward, the commitment becomes unavoidable.

Some more contracts, involving wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, guard Tyler Smith, defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Quinnen Williams, and cornerback DaRon Bland, can be restructured to free up more and more space. With Dak Prescott’s potential restructure clearing up close to $31 million, Lamb’s restructure could create $19 million, while Smith’s could account for $17.6 million.

In theory, Dallas possesses the highest restructuring potential in the league. In practice, every dollar shifted into future seasons tightens future flexibility and increases the risk of significant dead money if performance declines or injuries strike.

If some more wiggle room is required, Jerry Jones can extend Kenny Clark’s deal, who is in the final year of his contract, with a cap hit of $21.5 million. The options are right there on the table, and how the Cowboys choose to proceed is entirely contingent upon how aggressive they want to be in the market.