Cowboys Corner

No Need to Worry About T.O.

The Dallas Cowboys signed Marion Barber and Terrence Newman to long term deals. But what about Terrell Owens? Owens is in the final year of a 3 year $25 million contract that he signed after leaving Philadelphia where he had contract disputes.

Despite his history of volatility over contracts and money, Owens is not worried about his current status or upset that Barber and Newman were rewarded while he waits in limbo. Owens said, "It's easy for me because of the relationship. I met with Jerry my first year and talked to him on the phone more so than any owner outside of this organization ever, from being in San Francisco and Philly. He's a guy that's very personable, he interacts and he talks with his players. And that's all you ever want. If we're going to be a happy family, involve everyone."

The trust that Jerry Jones has built with Owens, along with the relationships he has forged with his teammates, makes Owens not worry like he did in years past about being compensated fairly.

One teammate who was more than willing to speak on T.O.'s behalf was Tony Romo who said, "I think you are seeing a change in a guy, a transformation that has taken place over the last four or five years. We're pretty lucky to have it happen here. I enjoy the guy. He's a good teammate. He actually cares about each one of us; he cares about getting better. He gets probably a bad rap because you don't get to see him every day. I'm pretty sure we'll be just fine with getting that taken care of."

With this being said, Owens is making $7.5 million this year and cost $9 million against the cap making resigning him not so much a problem with the salary cap. With the way Jones and Owens answer when asked about an extension it leads you to believe they have discussed this and have a plan in place. Worse case scenario if Jones decides he doesn't want to or can't pay whatever the going rate is for Owens, he can always protect his rights with a franchise tag. It is my bet you will see T.O. in Dallas at the new stadium ready to lead the team to the Super Bowl.

Romo and Davis' Contracts Reworked to Improve Cap

Tony Romo and Leonard Davis had their contracts reworked to help the Dallas Cowboys with the salary cap. Romo and Davis agreed to take their money now. How it works is the Cowboys moved some guaranteed base salary for Romo and Davis into signing bonus, paying them that money now. This enabling the club to spread that cost over the life of the contract instead of counting all this year as base salary against the cap.

The restructuring helped the Cowboys save $3 million this year and $8 million next season. This will leave ample money for the team to sign their rookies including Felix Jones, Martellus Bennett and Mike Jenkins. Another good business move by the Cowboys front office!

Newman Gets 6 Year Extension

Terrence Newman feared that being 30 years old may hamper his chances of a contract extension. Not so. The Dallas Cowboys inked him to a 6 year deal worth $50.2 million. The Cowboys do not look at the signing as a gamble because they know Newman so well and he is a workout fiend.

When asked about it Newman said, "Look at T.O., he’s producing and he's 34. If you can play football, you can play football. If you take care of your body, you don't worry too much about it."

Jerry Jones was also quoted about the signing saying, "He plays an impact position. A corner is very important to every scheme, but it's particularly important to us. That position for us right now is one of the reasons now I can get excited about this team."

I think this signing is not a slam dunk but it is a good thing for the team. Terrence is still an awesome player and this signing gives the team a morale boost and shows the continued commitment of Jerry Jones to winning. Kudos on the signing!

Barber Gets Contract Extension

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to terms with Marion Barber on a contract extension. Barber's agent Drew Rosenhaus was pleased saying it was a pleasure representing Barber and that the Cowboys do a good job signing players. The deal is reportedly worth $45 million over 7 years and has a guarantee of $16 million.

Good news for Cowboys fans. Marion is one of the reasons the Cowboys will be the best offense in the league again in 2008!