It was reported on Monday that the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins were being hit with salary cap penalties by the NFL for cap violations. As a result, the Cowboys will be stripped of $10 million in cap space.

According to ProFootballTalk, the Cowboys must accept at least half of that penalty this season.

A league source tells PFT that the teams will be required to absorb at least half of the cap consequences in 2012. For the Cowboys, it means $5 million in lost cap room. For the Redskins, $18 million disappears.

They can each choose to absorb more of the cap penalty in 2012, or they can push all of the other half to 2013.

Although that is certainly a bit of a salve for the Cowboys, it likely throws a wrench into their offseason plans, particularly as the ruling comes just one day before free agency opens on Tuesday.

For more on the Cowboys and their salary-cap situation, visit SB Nation Dallas andBlogging The Boys.