Earlier this year at the Senior Bowl, Jerry Jones declared the Cowboys front office would go “all-in” this offseason. But so far, the offseason has been largely uneventful. Dallas has also not been particularly active in the free agent market.
The Cowboys roster already features a fair number of players on the roster who already carry sizable salary cap hits. The franchise is also weighing lucrative contract extensions for some of their key players. But, Jones, the longtime Cowboys owner and general manager, shouldered the blame for the lack of progress on the contracts.
“If you’ve got trouble with when the timing is around here,” Jones said, “it’s because I’m not ready to go.”
Quarterback Dak Prescott, star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and linebacker Micah Parsons are among the star players who are in line to land big pay days. Prescott has handled the starting quarterback duties for the past eight seasons.
The 30-year-old’s contract expires after the 2024 season. He recently hinted that negotiations with the Cowboys have yet to kick off, but he added that he and Jones were “aligned” about where things stood.
“Honestly, I’m focused on the moment, on the now,” Prescott said. “If the talks begin and real talks get to happen, sure, we can talk about getting that done, but in this case right now I’m worried about getting better, being better than I am at this moment. So leaving that up to my agent and Jerry at this point.”
Meanwhile, Lamb is set to play in the upcoming season under his fifth-year option. He could receive the franchise tag designation next year. Parsons, a three-time All-Pro, remains under his rookie contract, but he is eligible for the franchise tag after the 2025 season.
Jones expressed interest in seeing “some more action” as it relates to the contracts.
“You may be working on [contracts] and not moving anything but your eyebrows,” Jones said. “Who in the world would think that we’re not working on it? I work on it. It pops up at 2 in the morning sometimes. What you’re actually questioning is why don’t you have something done and negotiated and put in the drawer? Well, we’d like to see some more leaves fall. We’d like to see some more action.”
Lamb and his agent could be waiting to see the terms of a contract Justin Jefferson potentially ends up getting from the Minnesota Vikings.
“You don’t think the representatives of Jefferson and CeeDee and [Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase] aren’t talking? You don’t think they got their eye on something really big? Please,” Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president, said.
“They’re not ready to come in here. Same thing with Micah. Same thing with Dak. It’s a little cat and mouse. And total respect for them.”
The Cowboys watched star offensive lineman Tyron Smith, running Tony Pollard and Tyler Biadasz sign with other teams this offseason.
Jerry cited the salary cap restraints that exist within the NFL when he discussed the inevitable departures of star players over the years.
“Dak has enjoyed, in his career that we’re proud of, some of the best supporting casts that you could put around him,” Jerry Jones said. “To move forward, we will have to diminish that. That’s a fact. That’s the rules. That’s our challenge and to make it work out: Dak as the quarterback of the Cowboys. I don’t even have a blink on that one.”
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