Stephen Jones responds to critics of Cowboys’ offseason

Jul 26, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones at training camp press conference at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys fans have been extremely frustrated with what they perceive as a lack of urgency from the team this offseason, but executive vice president Stephen Jones insists he and his fellow decision-makers are not operating any differently than they have in the past.

Not long after the Cowboys’ embarrassing home loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Jerry Jones vowed that the team will be “going all in” heading into next season . The 81-year-old even said that Dallas is going to focus on 2024 and “not build it for the future.”

Despite that, the Cowboys have made no big signings or trades this offseason. During an interview with 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday, Stephen Jones was asked what he would say to fans who feel the team has not gone “all in” since losing to Green Bay.

“We spend max, max money year in and year out. All 32 can only spend the same amount of money over a five-year stretch,” Jones said. “When we’re all said and done, we max out our salary cap every year. We will have done that. What comes with having a good roster, which we do, we’re also looking towards signing our own guys.”

“It doesn’t mean it happens overnight. But when you’re wanting to sign players like Dak (Prescott) and Micah (Parsons) and CeeDee (Lamb), then you have to hold money back if you want to have a realistic chance of signing those guys.”

In Prescott’s case, a new deal would probably mean more money to spend in the short term. Prescott still has a $55.5 million salary cap hit for 2024 even after a recent restructure . The Cowboys could free up cap space by extending him, but a recent report indicated they may not do that .

Lamb is set to make just under $18 million in the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. He could be headed for a holdout if he does not get a new deal .

There might be another explanation for what Jerry Jones meant when he made his “all in” comment. Whatever the case, Stephen Jones still seems confident in the Cowboys’ approach despite the backlash from fans.

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