Cowboys 5 worst contracts in 2024

The Cowboys are presumably in the midst of several contract negations this summer. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are all looking to re-up with America’s Team sometime in the near future and cagey veterans like Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence may not be far behind.

Lamb, Prescott, Martin and Lawrence are all on schedule to hit free agency in just nine months and the Cowboys will have the difficult task of bringing all willing parties back on new deals. Martin (34) and Lawrence (32) could ultimately decide to retire rather than return but Prescott, Lamb and Parsons are all producing at peak levels and operating in market-resetting territory.  Getting those three under team-friendly deals isn’t going to be easy.  

The Cowboys are notoriously frugal with their spending and as such don’t have many bad contracts on the roster. Dallas’ issues have been signing too few big-name players, not signing too many. Yet poor contracts still exist and some of the Cowboys’ issues in current negotiations have to do with the bad contracts on the books today.

For the sake of argument Ezekeil Elliott’s dead money from his old deal does not fit the criteria. His current contract is the only one which will be judged and since it’s constructed with roster bonuses, it’s far from making the list.

The two back-up quarterbacks also miss the cut since they serve an abnormally important role. Trey Lance may not be able to rise above third string but since he’s letting the Cowboys get a peak under the hood for two seasons, he’s worth the price of admission. Cooper Rush may or may not play a snap but as the measuring stick and veteran insurance policy, he’s also well worth the ticket price.