Cowboys Free Up $2M in Cap Space by Restructuring Starting Defender

The Dallas Cowboys restructured safety Malik Hooker’s contract, opening up $2 million in cap space.

Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

With the NFL legal tampering period set to begin on Monday, the Dallas Cowboys are already hard at work.

Dallas negotiated a trade with the Green Bay Packers, bringing in former first-round pick Rashan Gary in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round selection. Gary was expected to be released, but the Cowboys ensured they wouldn’t get beaten out in a bidding war during free agency.

They’re not expected to be done with that move, either. Jerry Jones promised the team would be aggressive and he’s freeing up cap space to give them room to work with. On Monday morning, it was announced that starting right tackle Terence Steele has his contract redone.

Now, Malik Hooker has joined in as the Cowboys restructured the veteran safety’s contract. According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, this frees up $2 million.

The Cowboys have created $2 million in cap space in a re-worked deal for safety Malike Hooker, per sources. Add that to the $9.5ish million on Steele. Still can restructure deals of Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, DaRon Bland, Osa Odighizuwa, Jake Ferguson if they choose.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) March 9, 2026

A first-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts out of Ohio State in 2017, Hooker originally signed with Dallas in 2021. At the time, he was working his way back from a torn Achilles suffered in 2020. He worked in a rotation at safety that season, and saw his usage increase in 2022.

Entering the 2026 campaign, Hooker has become a veteran leader in the Cowboys’ secondary. In five seasons, he has 289 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and seven interceptions. There were whispers he could be on the chopping block, but this ensures he will spend this year with the Cowboys.

Cowboys have restricted multiple contracts already

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott warms up before the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Dallas started restructuring deals the week before free agency. They were more than $50 million over the cap, but moved around $65 million by restructuring Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Tyler Smith.

Most of the free space created by those moves went to Brandon Aubrey and T.J. Bass. Both players were given a second-round tender, which carries a $5.767 million cap hit.

They’re expected to continue making moves, with restructures for Osa Odighizuwa, Quinnen Williams, DaRon Bland, and Jake Ferguson on the table. The Cowboys can also work out extensions for Gary and Kenny Clark. Gary’s salary has yet to hit the books, but he has a cap charge of $19.5 million. Clark is currently at $21.5 million.

Both players have no guaranteed money left, so they would be incentivized to get a deal done, while the Cowboys would be happy to lower their cap number in 2026 by spreading out their contract over multiple years.

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