Cowboys Have to Clear $4 Million in Salary Cap Space in Next 16 Hours

Dallas must make a move to get under the salary cap before the new league year begins.

Mar. 10, 2026 at 11:33pm

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The Dallas Cowboys are currently $4 million over the NFL's salary cap and have until 12 pm ET on Wednesday, the start of the new league year, to get under the cap. According to reports, the Cowboys plan to convert or extend the contract of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to free up the necessary cap space, with a potential restructure of linebacker Rashan Gary's deal providing additional flexibility.

Why it matters

The Cowboys' salary cap situation has been a concern this offseason, and they need to get under the cap before the new league year begins to avoid penalties and be able to sign free agents and make other roster moves. This deadline puts pressure on the team to quickly find a solution to their cap crunch.

The details

The Cowboys are $4 million over the salary cap and need to be under by 12 pm ET on Wednesday when the new league year begins. They cannot touch linebacker Rashan Gary's contract until after the deadline, so their main move will be converting or extending the contract of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. This is expected to free up $15 million in cap space, with a potential restructure of Gary's deal adding another $8.7 million, giving the Cowboys around $19 million in available cap space.

  • The Cowboys have until 12 pm ET on Wednesday, March 13, 2026 to get under the salary cap.

The players

Quinnen Williams

Defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys who the team plans to restructure or extend his contract to free up salary cap space.

Rashan Gary

Linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys who the team plans to restructure his contract after the salary cap deadline to free up additional cap space.

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What they’re saying

“The Cowboys are $4m over the cap right now. They need to be under before 12pm tomorrow. From my understanding they cannot touch Gary's contract until after the 12pm deadline. Quinnen Williams conversion or extension will get them there and then some.”

— Connor Livesay, NFL Writer

What’s next

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The takeaway

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