BREAKING: Cowboys extend All-Pro DaRon Bland to $92M Extension – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star At least one extension is in the rearview. After 2025, Dallas has a potential out of Diggs’s massive $97M extension. Let’s say they take that route, citing his health and inconsistent performance. They’d be left with just rookie Shavon Revel, […] BREAKING: Cowboys extend All-Pro DaRon Bland to $92M Extension – Mark Heaney, Inside The Star At least one extension is in the rearview. After 2025, Dallas has a potential out of Diggs’s massive $97M extension. Let’s say they take that route, citing his health and inconsistent performance. They’d be left with just rookie Shavon Revel, Caelen Carson, Trikweze Bridges, and Christian Matthew under contract at corner. You don’t need me to tell you that’s bad. Diggs, Bland, and Kaiir Elam would all be headed for free agency in that scenario, leaving the Cowboys with virtually nothing guaranteed in the secondary. As opposed to the pass rush, Dallas has way more future security locked up after the drafting of Marshawn Kneeland and Donovan Ezeriuaku. In short, cornerback is a screaming need now, and will become an even bigger one after this season. Locking up Bland, who has been elite when healthy, saves them from serious problems next spring. It’s a good bit of money for somebody who isn’t all that “proven,” but with the money freed up from trading Parsons, this is an obvious risk to take. DaRon Bland ‘dumbfounded’ by Cowboys’ blockbuster contract extension – Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated Good for you, Bland. Bland and the Cowboys agreed to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, including $50 million guaranteed. The money saved by trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers was immediately put to good use, but Bland admits he was “dumbfounded” by the amount of money he received. ”I was kinda surprised. I was a little bit dumbfounded. I can’t believe I’m going to be making that much doing what I do,” Bland told reporters after practice. “I thank God, because not many fifth-rounders get the opportunities that I had and be in this league and be able to do what I do.” That massive payday is well deserved. While Bland started last season on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury at the end of the preseason, he is one of the top cornerbacks in the league when health. His versatility is also valuable for the Cowboys secondary, so there was never a second thought about whether Bland would get his money. Now, he and the Cowboys turn their attention to Philly and are counting down the days to the September 4 kickoff on NBC, with live streaming on Peacock. Cowboys re-sign 6th-round WR pick after nervous 24 hours, drop un-retired Commanders OL – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire It’s good to have you back Ryan Flournoy. The Cowboys are still tinkering with their roster, just days before their season-opening game against the defending Super Bowl champs. The club released offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles from the practice squad on Saturday, and in a corresponding transaction, brought wide receiver Ryan Flournoy back to take his spot. The move shores up depth for a dangerously thin pass-catching corps that currently has just four Cowboys wide receivers (CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, and KaVontae Turpin) on the 53-man roster. Flournoy, a sixth-round draft pick from 2024, had been waived earlier in the week to make room for a new offensive lineman, Trevor Keegan, who was claimed off waivers. Now having cleared waivers himself, the promising Flournoy is back. A big-bodied receiver out of Southeast Missouri State, Flournoy saw action in 11 games last season for the Cowboys, starting one contest. He ended his rookie season with 10 catches for 102 yards and is seen as a still-ascending prospect at the position. Flournoy, 25, will join Jalen Brooks, Traeshon Holden, and Jalen cropper on the Cowboys practice squad; each of them can be elevated for three regular-season games. Green Bay continues to haunt Dallas fans. This football season just got a whole lot less entertaining for Dallas Cowboys fans. Actually, depending upon how you spin it, maybe it just got a whole lot more entertaining, thanks to Jerry Jones. The Cowboys owner decided to trade Micah Parsons and, for the most part, this fan base lost their minds. So did the entire football world. Everybody legitimately thought Jerry Jones had lost his mind with this decision, yet he somehow tried to defend it — not a surprise. In an interview right after the trade, former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett was asked about the move when speaking with Mike Florio. “If you’re there as a head coach and it’s a given that Micah Parsons is going to be traded, and then you say, ‘well okay, where are we trading him to?’ and they say, ‘the Green Bay Packers.’ What do you say in response to that?” Florio asked. “Well, let’s not do that. Is there anybody else who is interested? You don’t want to trade him in the division. You don’t want to trade him in the conference, if you can, or to a rival like Green Bay,” Garrett responded. Cowboys injuries: Trevon Diggs practices, Tyler Guyton gives update on knee injury- LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys It is officially a game-week practice report. Great news to start the week. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) was back on the field working in drills. In speaking with reporters, he said his knee feels good and said he did “everything” in practice today. The good news keeps rolling in as Tyler Guyton also practiced today after suffering a knee injury early in training camp. Guyton said he plans to play Thursday although it has not been confirmed yet, but seeing him on the field this early in the week is a positive sign, indicating he may be on track to play versus the Eagles. However, unfortunately for Dallas, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey left practice early with what

Although the initial thought of the Dallas Cowboys heading into Week 1 of the regular season against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles without their best defensive player, Micah Parsons, is jarring, the team has no time for heartfelt goodbyes.  The Cowboys need to shift their efforts to getting newcomer Kenny Clark up to speed and […] Although the initial thought of the Dallas Cowboys heading into Week 1 of the regular season against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles without their best defensive player, Micah Parsons, is jarring, the team has no time for heartfelt goodbyes. The Cowboys need to shift their efforts to getting newcomer Kenny Clark up to speed and finding a way to stop the Eagles’ running attack. That all starts with players who will be on the field Thursday. As we get closer to kickoff, we start to get an idea of who will be in uniform as the Cowboys look to spoil the Eagles’ celebratory festivities and secure the upset win over Philadelphia. At long last, football is upon us with our first injury news of the 2025 season. Great news to start the week. Cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee) was back on the field working in drills. In speaking with reporters, he said his knee feels good and said he did “everything” in practice today. The good news keeps rolling in as Tyler Guyton also practiced today after suffering a knee injury early in training camp. Guyton said he plans to play Thursday although it has not been confirmed yet, but seeing him on the field this early in the week is a positive sign, indicating he may be on track to play versus the Eagles. However, unfortunately for Dallas, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey left practice early with what has been described as a back injury. Hopefully, it’s a minor tweak and Winfrey can return to practice this week to help against the Eagles offensive line. And speaking of the Eagles offensive line, they are having some offensive line injury news of their own. Three-time Pro Bowler Landon Dickerson, who sustained a meniscus injury over the summer, practiced today and was doing individual work on the field after having surgery almost three weeks ago. Also, rookie safety Andrew Mukuba was back at practice after missing time with a hamstring injury. He’s a highly-touted rookie that will give the Eagles secondary a boost if he is healthy enough to play Thursday. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Injuries

The Dallas Cowboys are set to begin their 2025 season this week as they will visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s first game of the season. It is the third time that Dallas is playing in a kickoff game in modern history, they defeated the New York Giants in 2012 and lost to the […] The Dallas Cowboys are set to begin their 2025 season this week as they will visit the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL’s first game of the season. It is the third time that Dallas is playing in a kickoff game in modern history, they defeated the New York Giants in 2012 and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. It goes without saying that this is a big game for the Cowboys. Philadelphia is a division rival and to get a win, on the road especially, on the night that they hoist a Super Bowl banner, would go a long way towards soothing things on the Dallas side right now. The team just traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and Kenny Clark, setting off a torrent of emotions. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer is going to have to prove that he was the right man for the job and Dak Prescott is going to have to prove something to someone if history is any indicator. This game will mark the debut for Schotty, but it will also be the first time that George Pickens takes the field as a member of the Cowboys which should help CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson and whoever is running the ball between Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue. On the Philly side, reigning Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts will lead the likes of Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and all of the other weaponry that Howie Roseman has assembled for Nick Sirianni to deploy. Depending on exactly where you look the Cowboys are a touchdown-ish underdog which suggests it could be a not-so-fun night for the good guys. This post will serve as our stream for the game where all content related to it will cycle through. Consider it a hub for anything and everything related to the game, a process we will repeat each and every week (we will pin this to the homepage so you can always expect that). Welcome to the season. We made it.

Every year around this time, we’re reminded of just how ridiculous the NFL’s rules around the use of injury reserve have become. We just saw it with some of the Cowboys’ latest maneuvers, cutting veterans for less than 24 hours for some IR maneuvering. It’s become a convoluted maze of loopholes, not only creating confusion […] Every year around this time, we’re reminded of just how ridiculous the NFL’s rules around the use of injury reserve have become. We just saw it with some of the Cowboys’ latest maneuvers, cutting veterans for less than 24 hours for some IR maneuvering. It’s become a convoluted maze of loopholes, not only creating confusion but also undercutting the integrity of one of the purest ideas in sports: making the team. To its credit, the league has become increasingly responsive to concerns about player safety and overall health. There was a time when moving a player to IR was an automatic season-ender, and then another point where only two guys could return from IR during the year, provided they were part of the initial 53-man roster after final cuts and designated for early return. Layers of new rules and exceptions have continued to be built on this process. Now, teams can return eight players from IR throughout the season and don’t have to designate them in advance. Recently, the rules now allow for two players who were placed on IR during training camp or preseason to also be eligible for a mid-season return. The Cowboys intend to utilize this provision with WR Jonathan Mingo and DE Payton Turner, who are recovering from recent injuries but are expected to return by October. But those weren’t the only injured Cowboys coming out of the summer. RB Phil Mafah and CB Caelen Carson are also banged up, with Carson having missed all of August with a knee issue. Dallas wants the option to bring them back during the year, though, so it required a brief period of roster gymnastics. To be eligible to return, Carson and Mafah had to be carried on the roster through final cuts. Then, this happened: Before Tuesday’s 4 pm ET deadline, Adeniji and Goodwin had been released to help Dallas get down to the 53-man limit. But once waivers were processed on Wednesday, Dallas immediately re-signed the veterans after moving the young prospects to injured reserve. Clearly, as has happened with Goodwin multiple times now over the last few years, they were released with a wink and full understanding that it was a temporary formality. So the big question here is, “Why?” If teams have to go to all this trouble to circumvent the rule, and it’s allowed, then why have the rule? Why does it matter if a player got hurt during OTAs or a preseason game? Why does it matter if they were on the roster on August 26th and gone on the 27th? Isn’t this getting pretty silly? This entire system is based on the longstanding goal of preventing teams from abusing IR, using it to retain extra players they don’t want to lose but also don’t have room for in the current year. As we mentioned before, the NFL has softened on this with increasing awareness of the long-term ramifications of playing through injuries, even supposedly minor ones. That’s also why practice squads have now ballooned to 16 spots, double what they were just 20 years ago. But if Mafah and Carson are actually hurt enough to justify being on IR, which is a different debate, then why not just let them be placed there just like Mingo and Turner? If teams are just going to shake hands with veteran journeyman to go through this one-day farce of a transaction, what’s the point? For that matter, as long as the medical reports are going to be trusted, then why put so many restraints on the overall process? Every year, some teams have worse injury luck than others. And as we know, injuries are a prevalent part of football, and players have become increasingly self-protective. Limiting teams’ ability to navigate injuries, whether it’s through restrictions on the use of IR, or even the reduced active spots on gameday rosters, feels increasingly antiquated. Beyond adapting to the modern appreciation for sports medicine and health, there’s the integrity of the game component. Historically, one of the most impactful parts of the “Hard Knocks” series is in that final episode when some guys make it and some guys don’t. All summer long, these guys fight for a place on the roster. Hakeem Adeniji earned his way to being the backup right tackle, and having to spend a night unemployed just cheapens that accomplishment. After an offseason of coaches trying to push culture and camaraderie, it’s a generally unnecessary reminder of the business side of the NFL. Of course, the Adenijis, Goodwins, and many other veterans who played their part this week probably aren’t that bothered. It is just business, after all, and they didn’t lose a penny in the process. But for as much as the modern fan sees the fourth wall, whatever small ways we can preserve some innocence and even the perception of purity is worth considering. Even if you don’t care about such things, just do it in the name of logic and efficiency. No matter how you spin it, it’s just not worth the hassle. 0 CommentsSee More: General

The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a contract extension with cornerback DaRon Bland. According to reports it is a four-year extension worth $92M. The world of the Dallas Cowboys is still processing the trade of pass rusher Micah Parsons that happened on Thursday, but in the aftermath of it the front office pledged to use […] The Dallas Cowboys have agreed to a contract extension with cornerback DaRon Bland. According to reports it is a four-year extension worth $92M. The world of the Dallas Cowboys is still processing the trade of pass rusher Micah Parsons that happened on Thursday, but in the aftermath of it the front office pledged to use their savings from it (as in from the contract that they did not give Parsons) on other would-be extensions and players in free agency next year. We can give them their legitimate flowers on this. They did so and only took a couple of days to get on the board in that capacity. Bland is a playler who it has made sense to get a deal done with for some time now. A fifth-round pick in 2022, Bland was set to enter the final year of his rookie contract for the team. He first became eligible for a new deal this offseason and while Dallas got it done with just four days to go before the season starts, this is the type of thing we have asked of generally. Get these extensions done in the earliest window possible so as to prevent future problems. Everyone remembers the 2023 season in which DaRon Bland set the NFL record for most interceptions returned for a touchdown. He did this after fellow cornerback Trevon Diggs was lost for the season very early on, a domino falling that led to Bland kicking to the outside. It remains to be seen what is going to happen with Diggs this season, in terms of when he will make his debut, but the Cowboys have seemed intent on playing Bland in the slot (this all seems to cast even more doubt on Diggs’ long-term future with the team). Maybe that is the vision for him long-term with this extension, with Shavon Revel (when he is healthy as well) playing along the outside with someone else. The Cowboys do have a lot of draft capital in the wake of the Parsons trade, after all. Bland’s APY is $23M per year on the extension, but obviously we need to see what things look like once the specifics of the contract come out. That comes in north of A.J. Terrell, but still south of Patrick Surtain. As we say all of the time. there is a financial benefit to getting these things done in the earliest possible timeframe (generally speaking) and likely leads to a larger willingness to work from the player side. There is still a lot going on, not to mention a game to play on Thursday, but this is a very good thing. 0 CommentsSee More:

The Dallas Cowboys are trying to recapture the magic they had during their dynasty run in the 1990s and what they had during the 2014-2018 run. They are trying to make the offensive line the nucleus of their team. This has proven to be a recipe for success in recent years, with most of the […] The Dallas Cowboys are trying to recapture the magic they had during their dynasty run in the 1990s and what they had during the 2014-2018 run. They are trying to make the offensive line the nucleus of their team. This has proven to be a recipe for success in recent years, with most of the Super Bowl teams (Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, etc) in recent history boasting some of the NFL’s best offensive line groups. With a renewed emphasis on running the ball, teams around the league not only want their linemen to be great pass protectors, but to be big road graders as well. Enter Tyler Booker from Alabama, a big mauling guard who showed in one preseason game he could be a force in the middle for Dallas. Dallas is also doing something unconventional with what they have done to their offensive line room in the past. They are opting to go young at the position across the board. Among their five starting linemen, Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe, Tyler Booker, and Terence Steele, the average age is 24.2. Even if you add the rest of the group from the initial 53-man roster in Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, Nathan Thomas, and Ajani Cornelius, the average age is still 24.4. The Cowboys did sign Hakeem Adeniji to the roster after moving players around on Wednesday, which brings the average age of the entire group to 24.8. They have now also added guard Trevor Keegan, who is in his second NFL season. Outside of the 90s, the last time Dallas’ big men up front were considered the best in the NFL was in 2014 and 2016. Even with young players along the line, the average age of the starters was 24.8 and 26.6, respectively. This is close to what Dallas has today, but this is by far one of the youngest groups we have seen with the Cowboys at this position in a long time. The recent departures of Zack Martin and Tyron Smith over the last few seasons alone significantly reduced the number, but Dallas has emphasized having at least a few veteran linemen on the game-day roster in case of emergencies or injuries. In 2023, when Tyler Smith missed the start of the season, Mike McCarthy and the staff turned to Chuma Edoga, who was in his fifth season. In 2022, ageless wonder Jason Peters, at 40, started in the playoffs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Terence Steele was lost for the year with a knee injury. As of right now, the Cowboys are going in the opposite direction with the uncertainty around Guyton and his status for Week 1. If he ends up missing Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Thomas is slated to start right now in his place after taking first-team reps during training camp. The second-year tackle has yet to start an NFL game in his career. Having youth at a position is a sign of inexperience, but it should not be considered a lack of talent. The young duo behind the starters, Hoffman and Bass, have started a combined 14 games with Dallas, and their continuity in the offensive system should not be overlooked. Beebe and Guyton got their fair share of bumps and bruises last year, but being thrust into a starting role immediately should have helped expedite their development heading into year two. Brian Schottenheimer’s strategy of going with a youthful offensive line will face two significant tests right away, starting on opening night against the Philadelphia Eagles and continuing in Week 2 against the New York Giants, who have a revamped defensive line. Both teams boast some of the best defensive fronts in the league. If Dallas can show physicality and athleticism against the reigning champs and start the season 2-0, the team could be in for a better season than expected. If everything falls apart and Dak Prescott is sacked two straight weeks, like he was against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017, then Schottenheimer may need to reconsider the approach. 0 CommentsSee More: Dallas Cowboys Roster

Micah Parsons has been sorely missed by Cowboys defense, now he’s gone for good – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire Sans Micah Parsons less is… well, less. Micah Parsons’ days are done in Dallas. Following a tumultuous negotiation period, the Cowboys ultimately decided enough was enough and sent their star All-Pro pass rusher packing to the land of […] Micah Parsons has been sorely missed by Cowboys defense, now he’s gone for good – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire Sans Micah Parsons less is… well, less. Micah Parsons’ days are done in Dallas. Following a tumultuous negotiation period, the Cowboys ultimately decided enough was enough and sent their star All-Pro pass rusher packing to the land of cheese, pine trees, and Chicagoland vacation homes.Cowboys fans overwhelmingly landed on the outraged side of the situation, calling Parsons a generational player and impossible to replace. Looking at the Cowboys defense, it’s hard to argue to the contrary. Parsons hasn’t just been the best defender on the team, but he’s arguably been the best defender in the entire NFL. He’s been a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who’s typically led the league in pass rushing efficiency.His impact isn’t just reflected in his own stat sheet, but stats across the defense. The Cowboys’ defense has been overwhelmingly better with Parsons on the field because of the gravity he pulls. According to Bill Barnwell, the Cowboys are the top ranked defense in the NFL, by EPA standards, when Parsons is on the field. When he’s on the sideline, Dallas is the second worst. It’s something that’s not likely to change anytime soon because NFL defenses are trending in a direction that supports it. Look no further than the reemergence of 2-high coverages. Over the past few years NFL defenses have moved away from the old. Seattle single-high model and towards a Vic Fangio 2-high scheme. Teams have found packing the secondary with coverage and placing shells over the top has been far more fruitful than filling all the gaps and crowding the line of scrimmage. This coverage focused direction means fewer players rush the passer. That’s especially true for Matt Eberflus, Dallas’ new defensive coordinator. Eberflus doesn’t blitz often and when he does it’s only with one additional pass rusher. Like most of today’s coverage-focused defenses, he relies on the individual play of the four upfront to provide most of the pressure. Schemes such as this make elite players extra valuable since they are reliant on winning individual battles. That’s why trading Parsons is such a head scratcher.Parsons was a player who demanded double-teams and still won. Without him those double-teams will fall onto the shoulders of players who struggled to just win their one-on-ones. 3 Dallas Cowboys Trade Targets after Micah Parsons move – Mark Heaney, Inside the Star Who the Cowboys could add with the trade capital afforded to them after the Parsons trade. Micah Parsons just exposed Jerry and Stephen Jones in the worst possible way -Luke Norris, The Landry Hat Parsons reveals how Jones’ conducted bad business with him prior to the trade. The long-running contract dispute between the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons finally came to an end on Thursday, as Jerry Jones, who stated less than a week earlier that he had no intentions of trading his disgruntled superstar, did just that, shipping the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher to the Green Bay Packers. In return, America’s Team received a 2026 first-round draft selection, a 2027 first-rounder, and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, whom Green Bay took in the first round of the 2016 draft with the 27th overall pick. Both players involved in the deal spoke with the media on Friday, with each explaining how they found out what had transpired. Clark says he was getting his daughter some ice cream when he got the news. He admitted to being taken aback at first, but says it sank in when he got a phone call. “I was shocked, but once Jerry [Jones] and all those guys called me, Schotty and everybody, I just felt wanted. It’s a blessing, I’m appreciative of it,” Clark said. So, Clark gets a phone call that includes Jerry Jones, as he should, and that’s great. Parsons, meanwhile, had his introductory press conference on Friday for the Packers and was asked how he found out. More specifically, he was asked if he had been informed by either Jerry or Stephen Jones, or if he had received the news from his agent, David Mulugheta, to which Parsons replied, “Pretty much all through David,” and simply shrugged his shoulders. So, no phone call from Jerry (or Stephen) for Micah. Yeah, that’s about right. I mean, so much of this saga over the last few months centered around the fact that there was no communication between the two sides for months. So, why would anyone, especially Parsons himself, expect the end of said saga to be any different? As Parsons tells it, he and Jones met back in the spring to discuss leadership. As one would expect, the subject of Parsons’ contract extension came up, but Micah never felt that it was a formal negotiation and told Jones that Mulugheta would be reaching out to “get things done.” But when Mulugheta reached out, the Cowboys just didn’t respond. And things just got worse and worse from there. With the lack of communication and absolutely zero progress, Parsons ultimately requested a trade. And while both sides did plenty of talking in the media about the situation, they failed to do any talking with each other, at least not until things reached a boiling point. Despite Jerry Jones’ shenanigans, the Cowboys emerge with a meaningful purpose – Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys A different look at the trade beyond the doom and gloom. There was once a time when Jerry Jones was a big gambler. His risk-taking ways that made him millions in the oil business transferred over to his football decisions after buying the Dallas Cowboys in

The Dallas Cowboys made a move so shocking that it was momentarily paralyzing. A move that some would deem as unthinkable. Dallas traded away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Parsons is a star pass rusher nearing the prime of his career, and trading him to one of the team’s biggest rivals, Green Bay, […] The Dallas Cowboys made a move so shocking that it was momentarily paralyzing. A move that some would deem as unthinkable. Dallas traded away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Parsons is a star pass rusher nearing the prime of his career, and trading him to one of the team’s biggest rivals, Green Bay, is all the more stunning. Parsons has been named a Pro Bowler in each of his first four NFL seasons and has been named an All-Pro in two of them. In his short career, he has racked up a staggering 52.5 sacks, good for the sixth-most all-time in that span behind names like Reggie White, J.J. Watt, and Derrick Thomas. Although Green Bay sent the Cowboys defensive tackle Kenny Clark, a multi-Pro Bowler himself, and two first-round picks for Parsons, it still doesn’t feel like enough compensation for a player of Parsons’ caliber. The question is, why? Why would Jerry Jones do this? Simple: Jerry Jones has to do it his way or not at all. As has been famously highlighted throughout the years, and featured in Netflix’s recent documentary, the rift between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones was the prelude to the end of the Dallas dynasty of the 1990s, and whether you side with Johnson or Jones as to who was right, the only opinion that truly matters and carries weight is of Jones himself, who serves he team’s owner and general manager. Jones had a way of doing business that didn’t work for Johnson, and Jones, unwilling to cede to his coach, parted ways with a coach that had won him two Super Bowls. In over the 30 years since, Jones’ hubris and self-righteousness have gotten worse, despite the team not winning a championship since the 1995 season, and this has caused the Cowboys to seemingly jog in place over the past three decades. Jones’ approach has only been exacerbated by the team’s rising value, now $13B as of this year, and perhaps vindication for himself. To make matters worse, his son Stephen became a more prominent figure in the team’s operations, often echoing his father’s business tactics but also senselessly justifying them as well. As for the Parsons trade itself, the cost of the contract shouldn’t really be a major factor if you think about it. The rest of the NFL has proven that contracts and salary cap figures can be moved around to make the pricy agreements work. Granted, had Parsons received his asking price, a deal would have been done, and everything would have been water under the bridge. Except, it wasn’t being conducted on Jones’ terms and how he likes to do business. In a sit down with ESPN’s Stephen A Smith, Jones cited having to be “comfortable” about the cost, which speaks more to his personal sentiments as a businessman than NFL owner, and doesn’t align with how contracts are ironed out in today’s NFL. On the Ross Tucker Podcast, Andrew Brandt, a longtime sports agent who negotiated contracts for the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles, weighed in on what Jones tried to do with Parsons: It appears that Jones tried to circumvent Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta, and had a handshake deal with Parsons without the agent present. Unfortunately, that blew up in Jones’ face, and with Jones no longer wanting to play ball with Parsons and his representation, became what was the last straw and the trade was made. More than anything, the decision to trade Parsons is about Jones wanting to exert control and send a message that he still is the head honcho at the board room table. Jones had made it a routine to drag out contract negotiations with his premier players, such as CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, and Dak Prescott, before deals were struck, but not before leaking the contract figures and using the media to frame the player as asking for too much or being greedy. A way of Jones putting pressure on the player but making it seem like the ball was in the player’s court, very similar to Stephen Jones saying last month that Parsons has to want to be paid. What happened to Parsons feels strikingly familiar to when the Cowboys approached Tyron Smith in 2014 about a new eight-year, 110M contract without his agent being present. Smith didn’t sign the proposed the contract on the spot, and opted to speak with his presentation before taking the deal anyway. “Late last week, the Cowboys approached me with a deal I told my agents I wanted to sign,” Smith said in a statement released by his marketing firm. “My agents explained the pros and cons of this deal versus one that may be shorter term and/or higher guarantee. After careful consideration, I decided this long term deal was exactly what I wanted. “Over the past three years, the Cowboys organization and Jones Family have helped me through trying times and I felt this was my opportunity to return the gratitude. I am beyond grateful for the Cowboys staff, my teammates, and the fans, and wanted to ensure I was locked in as a ‘Cowboy for Life.’ I want to thank everyone for their support and look forward to having a star on my helmet for the remainder of my career.” Two different players, with two different players personality, resulting in wildly different outcomes. Jones has to understand that the days of old aren’t the way things are done anymore and a handshake deal or number written on the back of a dinner napkin is made for TV like his Netflix special. Ultimately, Jones drew a hard line in the sand, asking