Dallas Cowboys GM Informs $19M Star He Is Being Traded — Agents Now Exploring Next Team Options
Change is arriving quickly at AT&T Stadium.
After a 2025 season that exposed structural issues up front, Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones (or GM Will McClay under Jerry Jones' direction) has begun making difficult, forward-looking decisions as the organization recalibrates around massive cap flexibility and long-term protection for Dak Prescott.
According to league sources, one of the roster’s high-paid veterans has now been informed that the team plans to move on.
That player is Terence Steele.

Steele, the Cowboys’ starting right tackle, carries a 2026 cap hit of approximately $18 - 19 million, including a significant base salary and prorated bonuses from his extension. From a financial standpoint, the move is hard to overlook: designating him as a post-June 1 cut or trade would free roughly $8-14 million in cap space (potentially more with June 1 designation), with a manageable dead cap of about $9 million.
The decision follows ongoing concerns during the 2025 season. Steele battled consistency issues amid a struggling offensive line, saw penalties and performance metrics slip in key areas, and the unit faltered in protecting Prescott and run blocking. Multiple league outlets, including Cowboys Wire, Blogging The Boys, SI.com, and OverTheCap, have consistently identified Steele as one of the Cowboys’ top cap casualties and chopping block candidates entering 2026.
Internally, the Cowboys believe the timing is right. Younger, more cost-controlled options - such as Tyler Smith shifting positions or draft prospects - are viewed as viable replacements as the team looks to reset the offensive line without carrying a premium veteran contract that no longer fully matches on-field value.
Sources indicate that Steele’s representatives are now actively exploring next-team options, with trade discussions expected to accelerate as teams assess tackle depth across the league.
For Dallas, the move is less about what Steele once represented and more about what the roster needs to become. Clearing significant cap space without absorbing crippling dead money gives the Cowboys flexibility to restructure core deals (like Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb), retool the trenches, reinforce the defense, and extend their competitive window in a tough NFC East.
In the early days of the offseason, the front office has made one thing clear: no contract is immune when escaping a projected $30-50 million over-the-cap hole is the priority.













