Is Jerry Jones broke?
2:03 PM Tue, Jun 02, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Jean-Jacques Taylor E-mail News tips

Is Jerry Jones broke?

And I'm not just raising the issue because he was delivering pizzas the other day.

But it certainly appears as though Jerry is paying more attention to the bottom line when it comes to the Cowboys than he's ever done in the past.

Just so you know, broke is a relative term when it comes to millionaires. It means they still have considerably more money than most of us, but not quite as much as they used to have.

Got it?

So Jerry's not really broke.

He can still vacation in the south of France and treat his family to dinner at an upscale steakhouse, but like everybody else these days he's just not spending as much money as he has in the past.

Perhaps, we should just call it belt tightening.

When you examine some of the moves the Cowboys have made in the off-season, it makes you wonder, especially since the Cowboys' $1.25 billion stadium doesn't have a corporate sponsor.

Seriously, think about it.

DeMarcus Ware is negotiating an extension with the club that should make him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player. Albert Haynesworth, who signed with Washington in March, currently owns that title with a seven-year deal that guarantees him $41 million, including $32 million in the first 13 months of the deal.

Ware's deal will and should surpass that. Maybe, Jerry can't commit to that type of expenditure right now, which is why negotiations are dragging.

Releasing T.O. not only made Tony Romo's life easier, but now Jerry doesn't have to pay him the $6.5 million he was scheduled to earn. Miles Austin, who will likely move into the starting lineup, is scheduled to earn $1.5 million.

When Greg Ellis is officially released, the Cowboys will cut him a check for $1.5 million instead of having to pay him the $4.1 million he was scheduled to earn this year. Anthony Spencer, who was 72.5 fewer career sacks, is scheduled to earn $480,000 this season.

Then there's the curious decision the Cowboys made on draft day to drop out of the second round and into the third round, where the contracts are typically shorter and less expensive.

Add to that the big deal Jerry made about not wanting to trade into the first round because of the financial risk involved and you're within your rights to wonder whether he's making decisions based more on money than winning.