The Dallas Cowboys didn't have much to play for in their Week 18 game vs. the Washington Commanders, but quarterback Cooper Rush did.
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That is to say, while having a chance at earning a big incentive bonus, the Cowboys decided to bench Rush in the last game of the season, giving Trey Lance the start.
To note, for playing 45% of offensive snaps this season, Rush was given $250k, and heading into Sunday's game he was 65+ plays away from the 55% mark, which means he was on pace to get another $250k.
With this in mind, fans were upset with the team for not allowing the long-time quarterback, who currently has a salary of $2.5 million, to play vs. the Commanders.
All in all, according to team sources, this was not owner Jerry Jones' decision, as allegedly head coach Mike McCarthy is who made the quarterback switch.
Even if this was a coaching decision, and wasn't a case of Jones trying to save money, the team owner/GM is the one who caught most of the blame.
And Jones seemingly made it worse by claiming he was totally unaware of Rush missing out on the possible incentive by being benched, despite the fact he is the one who negotiated the contract.
(1/2) Jerry Jones benching Cooper Rush with a $500k bonus opportunity for him if he plays the whole game was bad. Jerry Jones saying he “didn’t know” about the bonus is even worse especially when HE negotiated the contract.
— Andrew Foster (@frostyssports) January 6, 2025
#Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush came close to playing 55% of the snaps this season, which would have earned him a $500,000 incentive. Jerry Jones claimed he was unaware of this. 😆 🤣😂🤣😂🤡 pic.twitter.com/IhVlsfVV8b
— Law Nation Sports (@LawsNation) January 6, 2025
Ultimately, Lance, who played in Rush's place, put up 244 passing yards (20-for-34) and had one rushing touchdown in the team's 24-19 loss.
In view of Rush's season, ever since taking over for injured starter Dak Prescott, the 31-year-old backup quarterback started in eight games (4-4) for the Cowboys; he passed for 1,844 yards while contributing 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.
The Cowboys have now finished the season with a mediocre 7-10 record, and fans are certainly disgruntled in Dallas.
That being said, Jones says he has no intentions of ever giving up his GM duties.
(1/3) Jerry Jones when asked if there was any consideration to finally giving the GM title to somebody else:
"No. Just no. I bought the team, I think the first thing to come out of my mouth — anybody here was at that press conference?
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) January 5, 2025
A reporter asked Jones about his future with the organization as an owner.
"Did you buy this for your kids?" A reporter asked.
"'H*** no. I bought it for me,'" Jones responded. "And I didn't buy an investment. I bought an occupation, and I bought something I was going to do. I was 46 (years old). I bought something I was going to do for the rest of my life."
In other news around the league, some players were more lucky than Rush this week, as Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans earned a $3 million bonus for reaching 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight season.
Notably, Evans tied Jerry Rice's record with his last catch, and was only able to do so because the team threw him the ball on first down, with 30 seconds left, while up by eight points.
Instead of kneeling, the Bucs threw to Mike Evans to put him over 1,000 yards receiving—giving him a $3 million bonus.
The team's celebration with him:pic.twitter.com/jpA1kBaDyt
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 5, 2025
The difference in culture between 2 organizations:
- Bucs run an extra play to ensure Mike Evans receives a $3mil bonus
- Cowboys bench Cooper Rush because he MIGHT hit his snap % incentive
Players do talk about this privately
— Brandon Murchison (@RotoSuperstar) January 5, 2025
