As May draws to a close, the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars are poised to advance to the championship round of their respective leagues.
The Dallas Cowboys would be the only major four sports team in the metroplex not to compete for a trophy, as the Texas Rangers won the World Series last autumn.
The Cowboys stand out from the rest of the pack these days for a variety of reasons, one of which is the way they generally approach the offseason.
The Cowboys’ decision to spend most of their free agency as a wallflower is understandable and typical; nevertheless, for the past few months, they have also been incredibly hesitant to negotiate extensions for its star players, which has led to a great deal of suspicion. June offers the most idle-y of idle hands because it’s the last month of the year without any meaningful NFL action. When that time comes, will one of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, or Micah Parsons get an extension?
Of the big three, CeeDee Lamb seems to have the best chance of receiving a contract from the Cowboys initially.
Reports surfaced early in the new league year stating that the Cowboys gave their extension hopefuls priority. According to reports, it was CeeDee Lamb.
There is a compelling case to be made for Lamb’s extension above the others, even if you believe the team should extend all three of the players involved given the current status of the market (and potential agreements that could drive up prices) at each position.
Quarterback:
The Detroit Lions paid Jared Goff this summer, and while it might have raised the bar at the position, there’s not much chance that anybody else would do so (again, in comparison to the other positions involved).
Although Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars both pose a threat, things are generally more steady here. Wide Receiver: This is the big one, if there is one.
Before the NFL draft (more on that later), Jerry Jones successfully contested the wideout market, and he essentially watched it collapse in his face when the Lions acquired Amon-Ra St.
Brown and A.J. Brown’s Philadelphia Eagles renew their contract. Given that things are probably going to grow worse, the sooner the Cowboys can enter the clubhouse with a recorded score, the better.
Players like Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, and Jaylen Waddle are still available.
Cutting Edge:In the end, what matters more is the grains that are still in the hourglass than it is the market. Dallas still has the most club control over Micah Parsons, but all of the league’s elite pass rushers have received compensation recently.
The latest on the negotiations:
Although Jerry Jones, the team owner, may have been pleased to hear Prescott declare during OTAs that he doesn’t “play for money,” he is aware that the final cost of a deal will be high—possibly even higher than the $55 million that quarterback Joe Burrow earns as the highest paid player in the league.
There haven’t been any fruitful discussions between the parties thus far.
Prescott has showed tolerance, despite criticism directed at the Cowboys for taking their time to reach a contract. When the signal-caller signed his four-year, $160 million contract in 2021, it worked, and it might work once more.
The Cowboys would rather have things finished before the season begins, but early March is the last cutoff.
Prescott would count $40.5 million against the cap if he doesn’t sign a contract before the 2025 league year, and he’ll probably find a new team to play for, similar to what Kirk Cousins did this offseason.
Negotiations update: Jones stated during the draft that he “wanted to see some more leaves fall” in reference to a few of the contracts that the Cowboys would like to finalize. A.J.
Brown of Philadelphia and Amon-Ra St. Brown of Detroit inked contracts shortly after, with an average value of $32 million and $30 million, respectively. That may be inflated numbers based on ad hoc math, but Lamb’s contract is very certainly going to be in or above that range.
The cost of Lamb might increase even further if more things fall from the tree, including a Justin Jefferson agreement with Minnesota.
Of the three major deals that the Cowboys made for Prescott, Lamb, and Micah Parsons, Lamb’s negotiations may start in earnest shortly with the goal of concluding during training camp. Lamb has worked alone during the first time he skipped the offseason program, but he has attended several throwing sessions with Prescott.— Archer
Current status of negotiations: Parsons’ contract is probably going to be shelved among the Cowboys’ three biggest contracts.
Although the Cowboys have him committed to a five-year contract through 2025 and will have the franchise tag available to use in 2026 if needed, it’s not like they’re opposed to signing him to a long-term deal at this time. Parsons’ decision to train independently has motivated him to miss the majority of the offseason program rather than being a contractual ploy.
When the two parties reach a deal, Parsons should surpass pass-rusher Bosa of the Niners’ $34 million yearly contract to become the most paid defensive player in the NFL.— Archer Although it’s not stated clearly, this seems to hint that Lamb will be the first of the three to get compensation from the Cowboys.
That makes the most sense in light of all the circumstances, particularly if the team can defeat the wide receivers of the Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers, and/or Miami Dolphins.
However, each participant has a unique significance. There are reasons to be made for and against extending any or all of the players, whether you, I, or anyone else desires to do so.
If there is one thing that we can all agree on in the end, it is that waiting usually results in a price increase.
Therefore, even if the Cowboys are able to sign Lamb in a year, they may still have to pay Parsons a higher salary.
In terms of negotiations, it is true that it takes two to tango.
However, all of the timescales involved in this situation were known and could be reasonably predicted. On some way, the Cowboys are running out of time, but there’s still some remaining.
