With every passing day, it sounds more and more as if the Dallas Cowboys will be unable to retain the services of Ronald Leary.

The offensive guard is set to hit free agency when the doors fly open on March 9, and he's officially champing at the bit. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2012 by the Cowboys, his five-year NFL stint has gone up, down and then back up once more.

It's the latter that's spiked his stock and will likely make him too expensive for Dallas, and Leary knows other teams will come calling. He alluded to the obvious when he spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio this week.

.@RonLeary75: Excited for free agency, been in Dallas for a while but excited to what's out there for me. — SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) February 14, 2017

Cowboys FA G @RonLeary75: I love to compete. I want to go somewhere that suits me. I think I can play in any scheme. — SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) February 14, 2017

"But."

A simple three-letter word that has a uncanny ability to stop hope dead in its tracks. It's not to say the veteran offensive guard doesn't appreciate the Cowboys for giving him a chance -- as he most certainly does. He simply sees the writing on both sides of the wall.

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La'El Collins is returning in 2017 and will likely return to the starting spot, and the Cowboys aren't going to pay top dollar for a backup offensive lineman. Plus, Leary isn't too keen on conceding to that role, anyway. As evidenced by him very nearly holding out of last year's offseason program after the Cowboys refused to trade him away.

After seeing his starting position go to then rookie offensive guard La'El Collins in 2015, Leary was in danger of not returning to the club at all in 2016. The Cowboys opted instead to retain his services for insurance purposes, and it was the right call.

Collins was moved to injured reserve after Week 3 with a torn ligament in his toe, and Leary stepped in to have arguably his best year as a Cowboy.

And it once the season was over, he immediately started contemplating his future.

“I thought about it a lot after the game,” Leary said after the loss in the NFC Divisional Round, via ESPN. “I kind of stayed on the field a little bit because I’ve been here the last five years of my life. That’s just as long as you’re in college, so I’ve grown close to a lot of players here, a lot of staff. It’s tough to think about, because you don’t know the future when you hit the market like that.

"It’s tough, but it’s part of the game.”

It's never easy when it's time to make a business decision about those you see as family, but the NFL is just that: a business.

Offensive lineman Brian Winters has already signed to a four-year, $29-million dollar extension with the New York Jets, which pretty much sets the market for now. This definitely works in Leary's favor, especially considering he had more starts this year than did Winters.

It's not impossible to imagine Leary and the Cowboys working out a deal, but it'd likely mean he accepts less money as well as a backup role to a returning Collins in 2017.

To prepare for the possible departure, Dallas signed guard Jonathan Cooper late in the year. The team was thoroughly impressed with Cooper, who is also a free agent this offseason. Jerry Jones and Co. are hoping to retain at least one of the two to tandem with Collins but, should it not be Leary, the veteran will harbor no ill-will.

Much to the mantra of head coach Jason Garrett, though, Leary is simply focused on today.

“I’m going to have to sit down with my agent and everybody with my team," he said. "Put everything right there in front of me and try to go from there."