Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had a bizarre excuse for managing to avoid paying out a $250,000 bonus to backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
Per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones, Cooper Rush would have received $500,000 in incentives if he played 55 percent of the Cowboys’ snaps in 2024. But Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy decided to start third-stringer Trey Lance for the Week 18 finale against the Washington Commanders, preventing Rush from earning a well-deserved new year bonus.
As Jonathan Jones noted, Rush was at 52.5 percent of the Cowboys’ snaps heading into Week 18. But by benching him entirely, Rush only got $250,000 of a possible $500,000 in incentives for playing 45 percent of the snaps.
If you think it was a gutless move by Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, wait until you hear his excuse. Speaking to reporters, Jones said he simply “didn’t know about” the bonus until he “read about it.”
Jones also stated that the looming bonus was not the reason for benching Rush in favor of Lance, who threw for 244 yards, no touchdowns and zero picks in a 23-19 loss to close out the year.
Jerry Jones says QB Cooper Rush’s contract incentive that would have been reached — and would’ve paid Rush $250,000 — if he played today was NOT the reason Trey Lance started for the Dallas Cowboys…#DallasCowboys #cowboys #dallas #NFL pic.twitter.com/6sKu97vpiH
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) January 5, 2025
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Rush wound up starting eight games for Dallas in 2024 because of Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury that required season-ending surgery. Rush went 4-4-0 as the starter and completed 60.7 percent of pass attempts for 1,844 yards, 12 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
Jerry Jones Has A Busy Offseason Ahead
Jones’ first order of business is to decide the future of Mike McCarthy. The latter’s five-year contract with the organization has expired, so Jones will need to work out a new deal if he wants to retain McCarthy.
Jones also said he won’t remove himself from the GM chair, so he has to prioritize upgrading the Dallas defense, offensive line and WR room around CeeDee Lamb. He didn’t deliver his promise of going “all in” last year, but it’s certainly not too late to make good on his word.
