The Dallas Cowboys spent the entire 2024 offseason dragging out contract extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. While they came to terms with both players before Week 1, it was a major distraction and led to a slow start for Lamb.
Now heading into the 2025 offseason, they have another major contract extension to consider. Linebacker Micah Parsons is heading into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract and will break the bank with his new deal.
The question now is whether or not the Cowboys will be the ones to pay him.
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Both Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have said they can’t envision Parsons playing elsewhere but that’s no guarantee they’ll actually pay another massive contract. In fact, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network have reported the Cowboys have had internal discussions about trading Parsons.
“While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king’s ransom. If the Cowboys are willing to listen, they may get it. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told NFL.com in December that the team will study the wisdom of having so much money invested in so few players”
To be fair, most teams have those discussions. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be doing their job.
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The concerning part with Dallas is the fact that Stephen Jones has been vocal about his disdain for tying up the salary cap on premier players. That point was made when he discussed injuries to their top paid players such as Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Zack Martin — who were all on the IR.
Parsons also missed time in 2024 and while that’s not his norm, Jones could use that as another reason to make a huge move.
The Cowboys, who don’t spend in free agency, and have been against paying their own players put a premium on draft picks. Trading Parsons would bring in a boatload of selections, which is why this discussion could be more than just an internal one before long.
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