Tony Romo might want his two favorite offensive weapons back in 2015, but it is the quarterback's fault the Dallas Cowboys are having trouble keeping both Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray in free agency. Owner Jerry Jones admits that while the team wants to have both players on the roster come 2015, the numbers will be difficult to work out thanks to the high cap hit of the quarterback. Will Romo look to restructure his contract once again in order to help both Bryant and Murray?
Romo will have the highest cap hit in the NFL next season to the tune of $27 million. If Dallas can convert some of his annual salary into signing bonuses, they could create upwards of $12.8 million in space which could then be used for Bryant and Murray. That seems like the logical option until the numbers are truly examined and it is revealed that the majority of Romo's dead money will come in the later years of his contract. Romo is 35 and coming off two back surgeries. Having a majority of his money owed in the back-half of his contract would mean Dallas could be in a bad situation should the quarterback get injured again.
"Obviously you don't like to mortgage your future if you can help it," team vice president Stephen Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. "We started making the move toward being a younger team and going a different direction in terms of pushing money out, so we'd prefer not to do that, but at the same time every situation has ramifications and you have to make tough decisions sometimes. I don't think there's an exact science, 'Hey, we're going to do it or not do it.'"
Both Bryant and Murray have no intentions of taking hometown discounts. Murray has already rejected one contract offer from the Dallas Cowboys after they low-balled him on an annual salary. Bryant has also made it clear that he wants to be respected in his next contract and take the money he has earned after accepting less in his rookie contract. The issues with Romo's contract hurt both players getting what they want.
According to NFL.com, Bryant's contract is the priority for Dallas. The team understands what a threat the wide receiver is. Murray was possibly the bigger x-factor in 2014, but Dallas will likely allow him to test the market and see what offers come his way before negotiating another deal.
