After telling reporters Sunday that he couldn't "fathom" a Cowboys defense without DeMarcus Ware, Dallas owner Jerry Jones acknowledged that his top pass rusher might not be back next season.
"There's no question when you are where we are on the cap, even though we've had some new cap space added, and you have a defensive player that's your highest-paid defensive player, and he hasn't been on the field much the last two years, that has to be considered," Jones told ESPN on Monday, per The Dallas Morning News. "You can't have it all."
It's the strongest hint yet from Jones that Ware might be released.
The Cowboys are estimated to be nearly $21 million over the salary cap. Scheduled to earn $16 million this season, cutting Ware would chop $7.4 million off the books.
On the wrong side of 30, Ware missed three games last season and produced just six sacks, the lowest output of his nine-year career. He's also coming off elbow surgery.
When healthy, he's one of the game's premier pass rushers, but will Dallas keep Ware around? That seemed like a no-brainer a month ago, but not today. Jones has mismanaged the cap for years, and now those mistakes are coming home to roost.
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