Jerry Jones Teases Next Cowboys Trade After Clearing Salary Cap Space with Contract Restructures

As the start of the 2026 season draws nearer, the Dallas Cowboys are setting themselves up to be one of the most active teams in the trade market.

While speaking on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that the team recently restructured contracts to create more cap space, which would make it easier to execute a potential trade this season.

"That does show that we have really serious room to make a trade if we wanted to right now," Jones said.

ESPN's Todd Archer reported last week that the Cowboys created a little over $19 million in salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark, cornerback DaRon Bland and tight end Jake Ferguson. Dallas also recently acquired offensive tackle Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for 2027 third- and sixth-round picks.

While the Cowboys' dealings have left them with only five picks in next year's draft, Jones said Tuesday that he would be open to trading more of those picks to upgrade the roster because he's focused on this year's team. He added that Dallas would likely look for improvements on defense, but the team isn't in a rush to make a move.

"The best way for me to answer that is not timing-wise, right on something this morning or this week," Jones said. "But if you look at it generally speaking, we're in play. And that's the best way to describe it."