Robbing Peter to Pay Paul — and Making a Career Out of College Football | Just Wondering with Norm

In this episode of Just Wondering with Norm Hitzges, Norm examines two modern sports realities that feel completely different — but are driven by the same idea: pushing systems beyond what they were designed to handle.

Norm starts with the Dallas Cowboys’ looming 2026 salary cap crisis. With the NFL cap projected to exceed $300 million, the Cowboys are already $30 million over, before accounting for key players they want to keep. Norm walks through the uncomfortable math surrounding contract restructures, deferred money, and why the Cowboys’ familiar strategy of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” makes today easier — and tomorrow much harder. From Dak Prescott’s ballooning cap numbers to the impossible situation surrounding defensive tackle Kenny Clark, this is a clear-eyed look at how Dallas keeps betting on the future while borrowing against it.

Then the episode shifts to college football, where the definition of a “career” is quietly being rewritten. Norm breaks down the unprecedented case of Miami linebacker Mohamed Ture, who is returning for an eighth season of college football at age 25. Thanks to redshirts, injury waivers, COVID eligibility, and NIL deals, Norm explains why some players can now make more money staying in college than entering the NFL — and why this trend may only accelerate.

It’s a thoughtful, numbers-driven episode about consequences, incentives, and what happens when leagues solve today’s problems by moving them into tomorrow.

JWw-NH SL Ep 95

⏱️ Chapters

00:00 – Just wondering about another Cowboys salary cap mess

01:27 – The 2026 NFL salary cap: $300M and Dallas is already over

02:08 – “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” explained

02:53 – Cutting players to create cap space

03:38 – Why Kenny Clark’s $21M cap hit can’t happen

04:29 – The backlash if Dallas lets Clark walk

05:11 – Nine players, $259M, and nowhere to go

06:01 – Why the math simply doesn’t work

06:40 – March 11: the real NFL deadline

07:21 – How Dak Prescott’s cap hit ballooned to $74M

08:04 – Zach Martin, retirement, and dead money

08:55 – “Busting the budget” for a Super Bowl run

09:41 – Sponsor break

11:39 – College football’s newest oddity

12:26 – Mohamed Ture returns for an eighth season

13:26 – ACL injuries, NFL risk, and NIL math

14:13 – Making a career out of college football

14:53 – Final thoughts and sign-off

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Just Wondering is a long-form sports commentary podcast hosted by longtime broadcaster Norm Hitzges, offering thoughtful, numbers-driven analysis of the NFL, college sports, the NBA, and the business and culture surrounding them. Each episode blends experience, history, and curiosity to explore why things happen — not just what happened.

New episodes feature clear-eyed perspective, context you don’t hear elsewhere, and questions worth sitting with a little longer.

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Sports podcast · NFL analysis · College football · Dallas sports · NBA commentary · Salary cap · NIL · Sports media · Long-form sports talk