The Cowboys had only brief talks with Spencer in the offseason about a long-term deal and have prepared for their 2007 first-round pick to count $8.8 million against the 2012 salary cap all along.
"We will start the season with his current contract," said Spencer's agent, Jordan Woy. "We will see what happens during the season. I'm sure we will have a discussion before the season ends."
But the Cowboys will not be able to sign Spencer to a deal until after the season ends, according to the collective bargaining agreement.
If Spencer has a breakout season, the Cowboys can place the franchise tag on him again in 2013, which would cost roughly $10.6 million.
Without the use of the franchise tag, however, they could run the risk of losing him to free agency. Spencer's backup, Victor Butler, is also scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2013, but the team drafted Kyle Wilber in the fourth round last April as a possible future starter.
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Todd Archer
ESPNDallas.comTEAM RESOURCES
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Calvin Watkins
Calvin Watkins joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. He's covered the Cowboys since 2006 and also has covered colleges, boxing and high school sports.
Todd Archer
Todd Archer joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2010. He's covered the NFL since 1997 and the Cowboys since 2003. He covered the Bengals and Dolphins before arriving in Dallas. A Massachusetts native, Archer lives in the Dallas area with his wife and two children.
Tim MacMahon
Tim MacMahon joined ESPNDallas.com in September 2009. Tim covers the Cowboys and Mavericks. He has covered the local sports scene from high schools to colleges to pros during his six-year tenure at The Dallas Morning News. MacMahon is a graduate of UNT.
Jean-Jacques Taylor
Jean-Jacques Taylor joined ESPNDallas.com in August 2011. A native of Dallas, Taylor spent the past 20 years writing for The Dallas Morning News, where he covered high schools sports, the Texas Rangers and spent 11 seasons covering the Dallas Cowboys before becoming a general columnist in 2006.
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| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIA | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
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| DAL | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 | |
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| W-L | PF | PA | HM | AW | STK | L10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ARI | 0-0 | .0 | .0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | W0 |
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