:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/64799193/usa_today_11320430.0.jpg)
On Tuesday it was effectively confirmed that Byron Jones is going to begin training camp on the PUP list. No harm, no foul.
Jones had hip surgery over the offseason and after a season that saw him earn both Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors, the bar has been set pretty high for him at his new position. Thankfully for Jones he’s quite accustomed to jumping great lengths so a bar should be no big deal.
There is more than just validating his status as an elite cornerback on the line in 2019 for Jones, this upcoming season is a contract year for him. He’s in a bit of a unique spot considering he’s spent so much of his career at safety up to this point, but the consensus seems to be that his bank account should be flush with Jones Family coin, sooner rather than later.
It might be later, or at least a little bit later, that Jones gets paid. According to the Dallas Morning News, contract talks between he and the Cowboys are stuck in neutral.
In terms of contract talks, Cowboys haven’t made any progress with CB Byron Jones, source tells @dmn_cowboys
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) July 23, 2019
Cornerback isn’t exactly quarterback so it’s not like you have to take out a second mortgage on your franchise to pay one, but the money is still large. The latest action at the position involves Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins who is now making just north of $15M per season.
Howard’s extension adds an additional five years and $75.25 million in new money to the final year of his expiring rookie deal, which was slated to pay him $1,285,641 this season. Howard’s new deal exceeds the $75 million contract the Washington Redskins gave Josh Norman in 2016.
It’s likely that this is the neighborhood that Jones will occupy once he eventually gets his second contract in the NFL, but he might not necessarily top it. “The next one is always more” is a philosophy that only really pertains to quarterback but we’re still talking about a good chunk of change here.
The Cowboys have their hands (and soon not their pockets) full with contract talks as they’re trying to figure things out with a few players. Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper have sort of led the way as far as headlines are concerned, but Ezekiel Elliott clearly wants in on the action as well. For the richest franchise in sports this is a good problem to have, it seems.