Notable headlines surrounding America’s team.
Cowboys now have guaranteed $125 million target for negotiations with 4x Pro Bowler – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
The floor has been set.
Executive VP and money man Stephen Jones mentioned, while in negotiations with Agent OO97 Odighizuwa, that the team’s agenda was to complete that so they could move on to extension talks with celestial luminary Micah Parsons. Parsons is entering the fifth-year option of his deal and is expected to command the most money ever given to a non quarterback.
A week ago that ceiling sat at $34 million a year, $170 million in total compensation and $122.5 million in total guarantees. But on Sunday, the Cleveland Browns reached an agreement with another edge rusher on a Hall of Fame trajectory, inking Myles Garrett to a four-year extension averaging $40 million a season and totalling $123.5 million in guarantees.
Garrett’s extension zooms past the average salary earned by Las Vegas Raiders edge Maxx Crosby, who earlier in the week signed a new extension that averages $35.5 million a season. surpassing the 49ers Nick Bosa’s deal by $1.5 million a year. Garrett now leaves that total in the dust, taking advantage of the $23.8 million of additional space on the 2025 NFL cap.
AFC team cleaning house may screw Cowboys out of dream draft scenario – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Dallas has to hope for some bad decisions come draft day.
“Outside of CeeDee Lamb, where is the juice coming from in the Cowboys’ offense?” Brugler writes. “McMillan could provide some. With his rangy catch radius and ball skills, he is a quarterback-friendly target who is open even when covered.”
McMillan would be a fantastic pick for Dallas, but the Jaguars feel like an obvious landing spot for the former Wildcat after they traded Christian Kirk to the Texans.
They also released wide receivers Josh Reynolds, Devin Duvernay and top tight end Evan Engram, who was limited to nine games last season but caught 114passes for 963 yards in 2023. Engram in Dallas would be fun, but let’s save that for another day.
2024 first-round pick Brian Thomas had a fantastic rookie season, catching 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns to pace all rookies.
The Jaguars would probably like to get ride of Gabe Davis, too, but he’s guaranteed $11.5 million next season. They might end up parting ways with him regardless. Long story short they need another receiver to pair with Thomas.
Should Dallas Cowboys pursue recently released future Hall of Famer? – Matt Galatzan, Sports Illustrated
The Cowboys will be looking at some aged vets in free agency, but will they sign them?
According to reports from NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Buffalo Bills are set to release eight-time Pro Bowler, seven-time All-Pro and future Hall of Fame edge rusher Von Miller after three seasons with the team.
Meanwhile the Dallas Cowboys are in major need of help in the pass rushing department, and have recently become the benefactors of an influx of freed of cap space.
All of which begs the question – should the Cowboys pursue Miller in free agency? Well, at least on the surface one could make the argument that they absolutely should at least attempt to make a phone call.
In his 13 seasons in the NFL, Miller has amassed 129.5 sacks, averaging 11.8 sacks per season, and has racked up 171 tackles for loss, 256 QB Hits and 581 tackles. Of course, in his three years with Buffalo, those numbers have dropped significantly, with Miller making just 14 sacks, 17 tackles for loss and 23 QB hits in 36 games.
3 of “our guys” the Cowboys should re-sign if the price is right – Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star
It would be nice to see these names wearing the star again.
CB Jourdan Lewis
Projected Market Value: $2yr, $4.5M ($2.25M AAV)
Jourdan Lewis has been a key contributor in the Cowboys’ secondary for several reasons.
Known for his quickness and savvy play in the slot, Lewis has proven to be a dependable cornerback in one of the league’s most challenging positions.
As the Cowboys defense enters a new defensive scheme yet again under DC Matt Eberflus, retaining a player like Lewis, who brings both experience and reliability to the field, should be a priority.
Spotrac’s market value projections place Lewis’ contract at around $2.25M per season. I don’t think Lewis will be that cheap to retain, but he might agree to a team-friendly deal.
Projected market values provided for Cowboys upcoming free agents- Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys
To set the stage.
A few of the key names include Jourdan Lewis, DeMarcus Lawrence, Erik Kendricks, and Carl Lawson. According to Spotrac, Lewis’ value is around $2.25-million per year which seems very low given the level he has contributed to the Cowboys defense over the course of his career. If the Cowboys are able to retain Lewis in the $2-to-$5-million per year range that would be a fantastic value for one of their best defenders over the last few years.
Lawson is another name to highlight in this free agency period. Lawson was a key contributor to the Cowboys pass rush in 2024, finishing with six sacks and 27 pressures in limited snaps. DeMarcus Lawrence, the longest tenured Cowboy remaining with Zack Martin recently retiring, is a name to watch over the opening days of NFL free agency. Lawrence played in just four games in 2024, but has been a leader and excellent player for the Cowboys over the course of his career. Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, spoke at the NFL scouting combine and his comments did not reflect a ton of confidence in Lawrence returning to the Cowboys, but that may change if his market is not as heavy as many have predicted.
