The Dallas Cowboys are dealing with contract issues right now. While most of the focus has been around Dez Bryant and his pending mega contract, the franchise has a few other players wondering why Jerry Jones is not opening up his wallet for them. Dallas has been tight on salary cap space in recent years and this is no different as contracts to both Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick are preventing the team from making other potential upgrades.
According to NFL Media's Albert Breer, Scandrick will report for offseason works this week after holding out for a new contract. Scandrick is set to earn $1.5 million in 2015 despite being the team's No. 1 cornerback. Breer reports that showing up to workouts is a sign of good faith towards the Cowboys' front office as Scandrick will not back down from seeking out a nice pay raise. The issue is that Dallas simply cannot afford to make the move this offseason.
"We stand strong about what a good player he is, how much we need him, how much he helps us," Jerry Jones said, via ESPNDallas.com. "(We) would like to get something satisfactory worked out with him. The last time we he asked for the agreement that he has now, he came in and asked for us to look at the agreement and make a change and we did. So we'll talk about the one we changed for him last time."
The Cowboys are also having issues with Carr who will earn $8 million next year. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys want the cornerback to accept a pay cut and help the team out, something Carr is not keen on doing. Carr is a $12.7 million cap hit this upcoming season and if the Cowboys want to make any other roster adjustments, they need him to take a pay cut. Jones made it clear that Dallas values what Carr brings to the field, but getting him under a better contract is an ideal move.
"We're evaluating," Jerry said, "looking to the extent that we can make contractual adjustments that would fit and help us under the cap. We want to try to do that with him. We value Carr and what he can mean for us this year.''
All of these contract issues could be holding the team back from making upgrades at the running back spot. The Cowboys are the favorites to land trade deals for either Adrian Peterson or Matt Forte. However, according to the Dallas Morning News, a veteran like Chris Johnson or Pierre Thomas will be the move made should Darren McFadden struggle. Reports say the Cowboys are not looking to bring on another big contract.