History Repeats: Jerry Votes 'For The NFL' But 'Against His Own Cowboys
A more selfish owner would've been tempted to voice his powerful objections and to vote differently when it came to the NFL's ratification of the new CBA.
Jerry Jones, to the surprise of some, is not that owner.
“It removes a very strategic thing for us,'' Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said this week at the NFL Scouting Combine. "That is, we lose the transition (tag). Strategically, that was really thought of a lot.''
Thought of - but then not acted upon in a way that would've benefited Dallas as it continues to negotiate new contracts for free-agents-to-be Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper.
As Cowboys fans probably know by now: If the NFL and the NFLPA cannot agree on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and play in 2020 under the existing final-year agreement, the Cowboys would have at their disposal two tags: say, the non-exclusive franchise tag for the QB Prescott and the transition tag for the receiver Cooper.
That's a one-time feature of an expiring CBA; teams use two tags.
But if a new agreement is forged? We no longer have an expiring CBA. And therefore the rules would revert to teams only being able to use one tag.
Nevertheless, Jones voted in favor of the proposed CBA that is on the table right now and being considered by the players. That's good for the league and for the sport of football; a labor stoppage benefits no one. In the end, it might even work out fine for Jones' Cowboys, as the efforts to seal deals with the top two players - and maybe avoiding a tag of any sort - have been accelerated this week.
That doesn't make this the perfect deal, but as Jones said, “The positives outweigh the negatives.” And it's all very reminiscent of what Jones did a quarter-of-a-century ago, when he was a driving force in the installation of NFL free agency and a salary cap. At that time, Dallas had the best and deepest roster in the NFL, and the owner with the greatest willingness to dig deep into his pockets. Selfishly, free agency and the salary cap screwed the 1990's Cowboys out of being even more dominant.
But Jerry Jones did what was best for the NFL, as he's done here ... and now, as a follow-up with Dak and Amari, will try to do what is best for his Dallas Cowboys.
