The Cowboys’ salary-cap problems may not be huge, but they could be big enough to claim one of the highest-priced defensive players in the league.
Owner Jerry Jones acknowledged on ESPN’s SportsCenter that defensive end DeMarcus Ware could be cut due to his high salary and cap number.
“There’s no question when you are where we are on the cap, even though we’ve had some new cap space added, and you have a defensive player that’s your highest paid defensive player, and he hasn’t been on the field much the last two years, that has to be considered,” Jones said, via John Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “You can’t have it all.”
Ware has a cap number of $16 million in 2014, which largely comes from a base salary of $12.25 million. During the 2013 season, Jones called Ware out for his inability to contribute at a higher level.
“He’s had a tough time getting on the practice field because of various injuries,” Jones said Monday. “All of that we have to weigh with how much of that has impacted him for the future as well as where he is in his career and with his age. Those are the ingredients in the stew. Now we’ve got to stir it up and see where we’re going. It will be a very difficult call for us because of how much salary cap he uses.”
In other words, unless Ware voluntarily reduces his cap allotment, the team may do it for him.