These 10 Cowboys players have the largest contracts on Dallas’ 2023 payroll

Sometimes it actually is about the money. It definitely matters in the NFL

The Dallas Cowboys have five players near or above the $10 million mark for 2023 and a total cap hit of $223,245,710 for 2023, according to Spotrac. That doesn’t count the dead cap hit for the likes of Ezekiel Elliott ($5,820,000), who is no longer with the team despite working out with Dak Prescott in the Cowboys QB’s backyard.

With that in mind, here are the 10 biggest contracts on the Cowboys’ payroll for 2023 (cap hit, per Spotrac).

QB Dak Prescott: $26.8 million

The Cowboys’ franchise QB didn’t have a great 2022 campaign, throwing a league-high 15 interceptions despite missing five games with a hand injury. But with two years left on the four-year, $160 million contract, he remains Dallas’ best option. The Cowboys will likely extend Prescott for the second time, in which he will join Tony Romo in that category, it’s more of a matter of when and by how much.

DE DeMarcus Lawrence: $17.1 million

The franchise has a lot of confidence in Tank, and he shares that confidence in his team after saying the gap between the Cowboys and Eagles wasn’t that big earlier this week. Lawrence is the highest-paid defensive player on the roster by more than $7 million for 2023.

G Zack Martin: $11 million

Martin likely has the best shot at being a Hall of Famer of any active Cowboy. His contract was restructured in March, along with Prescott’s, giving the Cowboys more room to function this season on the payroll. The six-time first-team All-Pro guard makes the Cowboys dramatically better when he’s on the field. Helps that he was unselfish with his contract, too.

RB Tony Pollard: $10.1 million

That current number is for the franchise tag, and the deadline for a long-term extension is less than a month away on July 17. The Cowboys value Tony Pollard enough to move on from Elliott, but rookie Deuce Vaughn has also impressed in early workouts and the running back position has changed quite a bit in the last decade.

CB Stephon Gilmore: $9.9 million

The Cowboys had two significant free agent signings in the offseason to help fill in the gaps (we will mention the other in a bit). Not counting Pollard’s tag, Gilmore has the biggest base salary on this list at $7,960,000. For reference, Prescott and Martin’s contracts were restructured to make it so their base salaries are both at $1,700,000.

LT Tyron Smith: $8.8 million

Smith is the longest-tenured Cowboy and also had his contract restructured in mid-March alongside Lawrence. Smith signed an eight-year extension in 2016, but the problem is he has struggled to stay healthy. Smith started 17 games the past three regular seasons because of neck, hamstring and ankle injuries. He missed 33.

DE Dorance Armstrong: $7.3 million

The 2022 season was a career year for Armstrong, who had his games played (17) and sacks (8.5) in his five years with the Cowboys. He has the second-highest base salary on this list ($5,000,000).

WR Michael Gallup: $6.8 million

Gallup has the biggest cap hit of any receiver on the Cowboys this year. That may not last forever if the Cowboys can come to an agreement with CeeDee Lamb on an extension. Word is Gallup is feeling more like himself after an underwhelming 2022 season coming back from an ACL injury.

S Jayron Kearse: $6.2 million

The Dallas safety played in 14 games last season, had one interception, two sacks and 55 solo tackles. In theory, his job should get easier with the edition of Gilmore in the secondary.

WR Brandin Cooks: $6 million

Here’s the other big free-agency signing for the Cowboys. Dallas didn’t have great depth at the position last season and Cooks could help alleviate some of the pressure and double teams on Lamb, if he can stay healthy. So far, his speed has impressed.

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.