NFL News: Jerry Jones makes final decision about Micah Parsons contract extension with Dallas Cowboys
The tensions were high during the Dallas Cowboys offseason as their two biggest offensive stars entered the final years of their contracts with the pressure on to give them extensions.
Quarterback Dak Prescott remained calm and focused on football, showing up to training camp and insisting that he wasn’t worried about the business side of things. For his part, if a new deal didn’t get done, he was likely going to
sign with a new team after the 2024 season, as he’d have become a free agent.
Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, on the other hand, held out of offseason practices and all of training camp while he waited for the deal to get done. The tensions were a bit more obvious here, as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voiced that he felt no urgency to get it done, while Lamb responded with a sarcastic “lol” on social media.
For the 81-year-old, being around the sport of football means more to him than money.
“I told my team, we just finished training camp, but we opened training camp, and I told my team and coaches, ‘Yeah, I could be anywhere in the world I want to be. I could be. I don’t want to be anywhere else. I want to be right here, with y’all. I want to be out here, and I want to be agonizing with us vicariously — not in your shoes, guys. I don’t want any of that,'” Jones said.
“‘But I want to agonize with you on your pursuit to become an NFL player and be a part of the Cowboys. Because I want to be a part of that feeling when we walk out there together and win it.’ Now money is not that, that’s different, Stephen. Much different than that.”
The Cowboys went 12-5 last season and won the NFC East. Yet they lost 48-32 at home to the Green Bay Packers in the wild card round, furthering their stretch without an NFC Championship game appearance.
Jones just gave star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb a four-year contract extension worth $136 million after Lamb held out of training camp, but still has one other major contract matter hanging over his head.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott reacts after a play against the Green Bay Packers during the second half of their NFC wild card game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Jan. 14. (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)
In the regular season, Prescott is 73-41 as a starter, yet holds a 2-5 record in playoff games.
Jones may be willing to trade two-thirds of the Cowboys’ $10 billion valuation for a Super Bowl, but it remains to be seen if he will pony up to keep his star quarterback in Dallas.
The Cowboys’ quest to make it back to the Super Bowl is set to begin when they play the Cleveland Browns on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
