Photo credit: James D. Smith/Dallas Cowboys
Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys continue to avoid signing major free agents, a trend that dates back nearly a decade.
By Morgan Knight
As another NFL season comes to an end, franchises are in the process of rebuilding their teams in hopes of a successful season. The NFL’s free agency system, which allows players with expired contracts to sign with any team, is an opportunity to gain seasoned players who fit the team’s needs.
Along with the start of the new league year, the 2025 NFL free agency period begins on Wednesday, March 12. Many are questioning if the Dallas Cowboys are going to break their nearly 10- year long streak of not signing any free agents.
While there are claims that the Cowboys have not signed any free agents since 2015, the franchise has participated in free agency since their last major signing that year. However, no major, big name player in free agency has been signed. The franchise has often signed low-risk signings.
In 2015, defensive end Greg Hardy was the last player to sign a major deal of $6 million with the team. The Cowboys have not exceeded that amount to any free agent since then.
On March 6, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones disagreed with COO/co-owner Stephen Jones’ statement that the franchise will be “selectively aggressive” during this free agency period.
“I don’t think aggressive is the right word… I wouldn’t call us really void in any area…” Jones said. “If you include what we’re going to do in the draft, I wouldn’t see that… I’m not looking at free agency as a place to fill voids.”
Through the years, the Cowboys acquired many players in the system such as Cedric Thornton (2016), Robert Quinn (2019), Randall Cobb (2019), and Dante Fowler Jr (2022), but none were considered major gains for the franchise.
Since signing Hardy, the Cowboys have had strong seasons, winning the NFC East division in 2016 and 2018, while struggling with postseason success. They have only one playoff win in 2018, with some Wild Card and Divisional Round appearances.
Though the franchise hasn’t made any significant and impactful additions in free agency for nearly a decade, the Cowboys have continued to focus on developing and retaining drafted players.
