Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware has answered one of his big offseason questions by scheduling right elbow surgery for next week.
That leaves the question of his contract. Ware is set to make $12.25 million in 2014 with a cap number just north of $16 million and the latter number is a tough one for a cap-strapped Cowboys team to carry into next season.
Ware said in January that he was open to a restructuring of his deal, but not a pay cut. On Tuesday, Ware said there haven’t been any talks about either option yet but that he knows reaching some kind of agreement is needed for the Cowboys to build the best roster possible.
“We need guys here to be on the team for next season to help me out, to help us out, so sometimes you can’t think about a whole bunch of money and then not have anybody there,” Ware said, via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. “You need somebody there by your side, a defensive tackle, a defensive end, a wide receiver. You need to figure it out because the time is now. We need to win. That’s what I get out of playing. I play hurt, bruised up. Some guys don’t play, but I still get out there and play because I don’t care about anything else.”
Restructuring Ware’s deal would create some immediate relief, but would kick more money onto the cap in the future and leave the Cowboys in a similar position again next year. That would make a pay cut a healthier overall route to take, although there’s been no word out of Dallas that the Cowboys plan to press the issue by hinting that Ware’s future in Dallas relies on such an agreement.