Cowboys news: Source claims Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons are talking about a new deal

The latest news around your Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys, Micah Parsons talking long-term contract – Mike Leslie, WFAA

There are rumblings that the Cowboys and Micah Parsons might get a deal done.

The Dallas Cowboys and their All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons have held discussions about a long-term contract extension, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

According to that source, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones called Parsons to The Star on Tuesday to discuss a potential deal in further detail.

Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie deal — a fifth-year option worth $24 million. A long-term deal for Parsons is widely expected to be in the $40 million range in terms of annual salary, based on contracts that have been signed by other high-end defensive talents around the league. The Cleveland Browns recently signed Myles Garrett to a four-year, $160 million deal, paying him right at that $40 million salary.

Parsons is coming off one of the finest starts to an NFL career for an edge rusher in league history. He joined Reggie White as one of the only two players in NFL history to start a career with four seasons of 12 or more sacks, after posting a dozen in 2024. He has 52.5 sacks in his first four years in the league.

The Cowboys freed up a mountain of cap space earlier this offseason, restructuring deals for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to free up more than $57 million to take on the 2025 offseason. Their signings thus far have not used up much of that cap space, signing and trading for a laundry list of players who can provide depth and fill some holes on the Cowboys’ depth chart.

Conflicting reports emerge regarding whether Cowboys, Micah Parsons are talking – Mike Plorio, PFT

They could be talking, but they could also not be talking.

It all started, as best we can tell, when someone named Ernie The Cowboys Fan claimed that the Cowboys and Parsons are “closing in on a 5 year, $200M contract extension.” Later, Mike Leslie of WFAA reported that the Cowboys and Parsons have held discussions about a long-term extension. Leslie also reported that owner Jerry Jones “called Parsons to The Star on Tuesday” to discuss a possible deal.

Jane Slater of NFL Network, the outlet owned and operated by the league and influenced significantly by the Cowboys, reported that nothing is close and that “meaningful talks haven’t even begun yet.” Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of All City DLLS got the same information from the team.

It would not be difficult to do a deal for Parsons. A deal in principle could be done in an hour or less. Given that the Ja’Marr Chase contract set a new non-quarterback bar at $40.25 million per year ($250,000 per year higher than the Myles Garrett average of $40 million), the Cowboys and Parsons could do a four-year extension that pays $40.5 million per year in new money.

That’s $162 million. Throw in the $24 million that Parsons is due to make this year, and it’s a five-year, $186 million deal.

That’s it. There’s the outline. If the Cowboys actually want to do it, they should call Mulugheta right now, work out the cash flow and the guarantees, and get it done.

The longer things linger without a deal for Parsons, the more obvious it is that Parsons and his agent aren’t the impediment.

Dante Fowler Jr. feels he has something to prove in second stint with Cowboys – Tommy Yarish, DallasCowboys.com

Hopefully, Dante Fowler will produce the same amount for the Cowboys as he did with Washington.

After spending a season with the NFC East rival Washington Commanders, defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. made his way back to Dallas in free agency ahead of the 2025 season and is excited to be able to don a star on his helmet again.

“It feels amazing to be back, I’m definitely happy to be here in Dallas,” Fowler said. “I’m ready to get going with the guys for sure.”

In 2024, Fowler had his best season since 2019 with 10.5 sacks, 39 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and even recorded his first career interception and returned it for a touchdown in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers. A large part of that explosion in production came from what he’d learned in the two years prior with the Cowboys.

“It was pretty big, just to be able to go out there and show the people that I’m still here and be able to produce at a high level,” Fowler said. “I felt really confident going into this season especially with these past two years getting to work from coach [Aden Durde], Micah [Parsons] and [DeMarcus Lawrence] with the d-line group that we had.”

“I definitely took a lot from that and learned a lot from these past couple of years and took that to Washington and just put it all out there and let my work show for itself.”

As he prepares for his second stint with the Cowboys, Fowler is hoping to be a reliable veteran presence for some of the younger, up and coming defensive ends in the room like Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland and whoever else may follow.

How Jack Sanborn and Matt Eberflus’ connection could help Cowboys defense in 2025 – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jack Sanborn could be a sneaky good signing given his experience with Matt Eberflus.

When former Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer arrived in the offseason of 2024, he quickly went after one of “his guys” to help the on-field communication of the new defensive system he would be bringing to the team.

Despite being one of only two outside signings ahead of training camp, linebacker Eric Kendricks was brought in to lead the defense having played in Zimmer’s system for seven seasons.

New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is takinga similar approach to 2025.

Early on in free agency, the Cowboys signed Jack Sanborn, a linebacker who played three seasons under Eberflus’ system with the Chicago Bears.

“When Coach Eberflus got the job in Dallas, you’re going through your whole thing after the season of what’s it going to be,” Sanborn said. “It was definitely like if something happens, keep it on the radar. Dallas definitely reached out decently early in free agency. Because of the connection, what [Brian] Schottenheimer is building there and Dallas in general, I couldn’t have been more excited to be a part of this organization.”

While Sanborn neither has the experience that Kendricks brought in 2024, nor is he the foregone starter at linebacker, he does bring a wealth of knowledge for a Cowboys defense that will all be learning around him as soon as OTAs in May.

“It’s about flying around, having an aggressive mindset and getting downhill,” Sanborn said of the Eberflus defense. “But everybody has a job, he’s really big into that. Making sure that not only you know your job, you know why you’re doing your job and by doing your job what that leads to [for] other people.”

‘I don’t need a red carpet’: New Dallas Cowboys CB Kaiir Elam ready for a reset – Joseph Hoyt, AllDLLS.com

The Dallas Cowboys had some interest in Kaiir Elam before the Buffalo Bills drafted him.

There are flaws in the following study, but it does have some insight into the value of a first round draft pick. ESPN looked at the first round picks from 2000-19 to determine the hit rate by position. The metric they used: whether that pick netted a second contract with that team.

The results, which you can see below, were all over the board, ranging wide receivers (27% hit rate), to centers (92%).

There are so many variables for why a first round pick doesn’t receive a second contract with the team that drafted them. For new Dallas Cowboys corner Kaiir Elam, a former first round pick by the Buffalo Bills, one person is willing to take the brunt for why it didn’t work out there.

That, according to The Buffalo News, is Bills general manager Brandon Beane.

“It didn’t work. And it stinks,” Beane said last week. “And it’s not for a lack of effort on either side here.

“I’m confident a reset for him gives him a chance. I’m rooting for him.”

A chance is all Elam wants. And with the Cowboys, he should have it.