Stephen Jones told the media the Dallas Cowboys would be “selectively aggressive” in free agency this year, on the heels of the division rival Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl. This sounded too familiar to his father Jerry’s comments last year about going “all in.” But with the flip of the calendar, it’s a new year, the same method of approach, and it’s looking too eerily familiar.

Much like a New Year’s resolution, you can make honest, well-intentioned goals like getting to the gym, losing weight, eating healthier, or learning a new skill. It’s only when the rubber meets the road, you have to put action into practice, when we see the real fruits of the labor.

Since 2015, the Dallas Cowboys have been anything but aggressive. The last contract to an outside free agent worth more than $6 million annually was Greg Hardy from the Carolina Panthers. We are ten years removed and the salary cap has jumped over $130 million since. In today’s market, six million means nothing. In comparison, Aaron Rodgers was the highest paid QB in 2015 with $22 million annually. Ten years later, that number has jumped to $60 million annually with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. That’s a 273% jump in ten years.

To hit the $6 million mark, there are nearly 80 free agents who have signed for more than that this offseason.

Here are some players in free agency this year who have made more than $6 million annually with their new teams:

• S Jevon Holland ($15 million) to NY Giants
• S Talanoa Hufanga ($15 million) to Denver
• DT Tershawn Wharton ($15 million) to Carolina
• DE Joey Bosa ($12.6 million) to Buffalo
• LB Dre Greenlaw ($11.7 million) to Denver
• DT Grady Jarrett ($11.5 million) to Chicago
• C Ryan Kelly ($9 million) to Minnesota
• S Jeremy Chinn ($8 million) to Vegas
• Former Cowboys CB Jourdan Lewis ($10 million) to Jacksonville
• Former Cowboys DL Chauncey Golston ($6.5 million) to NY Giants
• Former Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle ($6.25 million) to Carolina

I only listed players at positions of need for the Cowboys, who need depth on both the offensive and defensive lines, a stud linebacker to replace Eric Kendricks and assist in the recovery of DeMarvion Overshown, and safety help with the declining play of Donovan Wilson. I stayed within that 273% jump for comparison. The Greg Hardy $6 million deal would translate to $16.4 million with the modern salary cap increase.

These are all players who could be inserted into the starting lineup Week 1. Instead, the Cowboys signed Javonte Williams from the Broncos for $3 million and his statistics were worse than Rico Dowdle, who wasn’t even the main back for the entire 2024 season, or featured a lot in the first half of the year. Javonte is the only free agent projected to be in the starting lineup, if the Cowboys don’t spend a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on a running back in the NFL Draft.

The purpose of free agency is to add pieces who can contribute immediately to your franchise, and the purpose of the draft is to bring in young players to develop into superstars. The Cowboys have missed the boat.

A financially savvy businessman, as Jerry Jones prides himself on, isn’t considered savvy if he doesn’t adapt to the market. Lowballing grown men is an insult to their abilities, their experience, and their contributions to a football team. It’s no different than finding a new job and the employer looks at your resume and offers a significant pay-cut from your previous job. The only ones taking the money are failed first-round draft picks who can’t get a better deal elsewhere because they never produced at the main level.

• DL Solomon Thomas (2017 1st-round selection, 3rd overall) has 18.5 sacks in 115 games played for 8 seasons
• G Robert Jones (Undrafted) was graded 62nd in pass block rate and 64th in run block rate out of 64 eligible guards in 2025 (ESPN)
• DE Payton Turner (2021 1st-round selection, 28th overall) has 5 sacks in 4 years with 0 games started, playing less than 30% of snaps in each season
• RB Javonte Williams (2021 2nd-round selection) career high in rushing yards came in his rookie year (903) and has 11 career touchdowns to 5 fumbles
• LB Jack Sanborn (Undrafted) played a career-low 21.9% of snaps in 2024 with Chicago, where he’s familiar with new Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus

Is there a potential that these free agent acquisitions can perform well for the Cowboys? Absolutely. Ideally, these players can shock the world and earn a five-figure contract next time they touch free agency. The problem? The Jones family will pass because it’s simply too much money.

If you let starters leave your organization and you fail to replace them with starting-caliber players, you can’t expect to do anything but go backwards.

Spending money isn’t wasting money, it’s investing in your football team. So Jerry, sign the check. Don’t allow the NFL’s most valuable franchise to be outbid by the likes of the Broncos, Raiders, and Jaguars. Be aggressive now so you can put the team in position to be aggressive next January.