Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images Offseason rumors are once again a thing. Does the NFL betting market know something about the Cowboys offseason plans that we don’t? This is the question just days into the unceremonious start of said offseason for the Cowboys, arriving here by missing the playoffs with a 7-10 record and ending the year on a two-game losing streak. Dallas has serious work to do ahead of them to overhaul a roster that went from winning 12 games each year from 2021-23, but faced season-long flaws compiled by a rash of injuries that made 2024 a lost year. For what feels like the hundredth time in the last few seasons, wide receiver is yet again a position the Cowboys can seemingly get the most bang for their buck and lift to their viability as a playoff contender with an upgrade. According to Sports Betting AG, they are currently the favorite to be Tyreek Hill’s next team. Tyreek Hill’s next NFL team odds, via @SportsBettingAG pic.twitter.com/HBBmWXXNNd — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 6, 2025 The Cowboys are narrow favorites over the Raiders, Falcons, Bills, and Patriots at the moment. Including the Cowboys, all of these teams outside of Buffalo missed the playoffs this season. The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce after just one season (after an interim stint the year before) because of this, wanting to get a new head coach in place before restarting their search for a franchise QB. Whoever that QB may be, they will have record-breaking TE Brock Bowers going into just his second season in 2025, and pairing him with Hill would help Las Vegas embrace the mentality of their new home city and get back to putting on a show offensively. The Falcons saw a late-season spark from rookie quarterback Michael Penix, but still left them short of the playoffs, losing out on the NFC South for the fourth straight year to the Buccaneers despite winning both head-to-head matchups. Penix’s ability to throw the deep ball was one of his best traits as a prospect out of Washington, and connecting with Hill while also having Bijan Robinson out of the backfield would equally give Atlanta a full complement of weapons on offense. Lastly, the Patriots became yet another team to fire a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, with owner Robert Kraft being very vocal about how poorly the team has drafted putting Mayo in an “untenable” situation. New England’s most glaring need has been at the skill positions for far too long now. The Patriots have drafted six receivers over the last four years, but were still led in receptions and receiving yards by tight end Hunter Henry in quarterback Drake Maye’s rookie season. They have not had a WR eclipse 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman in 2019, which was Tom Brady’s last season. The opportunity to keep Hill within the AFC East is certainly something they should be interested in. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Again with the exception of the Bills, the Cowboys being favorited to land Hill may be a testament to their quarterback situation over the other struggling teams mentioned here. Hill’s frustrations in Miami after missing the playoffs for the first time in his three seasons there have boiled over into the star WR boldly claiming he has played his last down for the Dolphins despite still having two years left on his contract and a $26.9 million cap hit in 2025. Even when the Dolphins were in the playoffs with Hill, their reliance on big plays in the passing game as the only phase they prioritize enough to compete was stymied by drawing cold weather games away from south Florida. In last year’s loss to Hill’s former team the Chiefs, the former KC Super Bowl champion was held to five catches for 62 yards. The Dolphins were eliminated in the Wild Card round for the second straight year, and left searching for their first playoff win since 2000, the longest active streak in the league that will carry over into next year. This season, Hill’s 959 receiving yards were the fewest he’s had in a full season played since his 2016 rookie year. His six touchdowns also match a career low from 2016, and catching passes from four different quarterbacks as the Dolphins turned to Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle when Tua Tagovailoa was unavailable doesn’t help the overall situation either. The Cowboys current situation with Dak Prescott is far from perfect, as he will go into 2025 off another season-ending injury and still with everything to prove in living up to becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history this past offseason. The closest the Cowboys have ever come to being taken seriously as a real contender under Prescott is when they’ve loaded up at WR though, and pairing Hill with CeeDee Lamb would certainly accomplish this. Dallas showed flashes in the final game of the season started by Trey Lance of secondary receivers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and even return man KaVontae Turpin making plays, but cannot go into the 2025 season expecting this committee approach around Lamb to yield the results they’ll expect from Prescott in the pass game. The early offseason tea leaves are all pointing to head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McCarthy returning, and with that the Cowboys ability to make big plays on this side of the ball will rightfully be scrutinized. Lamb and Hill would give the Cowboys two dynamic players with the run-after-catch ability and raw game-breaking skill to finally be a formidable opponent to scout against, something that hasn’t been said nearly often enough about them in comparison to the resources they’ve allocated on offense. Still, for Dallas to be flat out favorites at the moment to land Hill is a major surprise. It is well understood within the fanbase that this is simply not the type of move this team will typically make, and Stephen Jones put the idea in fan’s

Photo credit should read PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images We’ve become really good at counting the years in Cowboys Nation. We bear the painful knowledge that it’s been 29 years since Dallas’ last Super Bowl, or even an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. But a new number is starting to take its own emotional toll; 22 years since the last time Jerry Jones made a bold, uncharacteristic move with who he hired as the Cowboys’ head coach. 2003 was the year and Bill Parcells was the hire. After watching his 90s dynasty crumble and then three-straight seasons of 5-11 records under Dave Campo, Jones was finally desperate enough to get off the friends-and-family plan with his head coaches. He brought in Parcells, a proven Super Bowl winner with a reputation for authoritarianism. He’d served as both the head coach and general manager in his stints with the Patriots and Jets before coming to Dallas, the antithesis of the type of coaches Jones has generally hired since the divorce with Jimmy Johnson. Despite inheriting Quincy Carter as his starting quarterback and only just getting started with the rebuild, Parcells immediately ended a three-year playoff drought in his first season. As the last remnants of the 90s were purged and new franchise fixtures like DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, and Terence Newman were being added, the QB position remained a weak point for the next two years. It wasn’t until Tony Romo finally emerged in 2006 that Parcells had the passer to elevate the team to another level, but by then the relationship between Parcells and Jones had predictably eroded. He left the Cowboys the following offseason. In the 18 years since Parcells left, we’ve seen Jones revert back to his post-Johnson desire to remain unchallenged by his head coach. He replaced Parcells with Wade Phillips, a guy who literally earned the nickname “Coach Cupcake” for his demeanor and non-confrontational approach to handling his players and co-workers. Then came Jason Garrett, a homegrown product who’d played for Jones and had family ties to the organization going back to the late 60s. Known for keeping an even keel, Garrett was never going to be adversarial with Jones or make him feel disrespected. After giving Garrett most of a decade to try to push things forward, Jones finally moved on to Mike McCarthy in 2020. Bringing a Super Bowl ring and a long history of dominance in the NFC North, McCarthy was the most accomplished NFL head coach Jones had ever hired besides Parcells. But personality-wise, he was far more reminiscent of the soft style of Phillips, and had a reputation for not meddling in the Packers’ front office business. Again, the kind of coach that suited Jerry Jones’ ego. Granted, these last three coaches all did a solid job of maintaining the level that Parcells had taken the Cowboys to. Phillips got Dallas its first NFC East championship since 1998 and its first playoff win since 1996. Garrett, after rebuilding the offensive line and with mostly average-to-bad defenses, won the NFC East three times in five years with two playoff wins. McCarthy led Dallas to three straight 12-win seasons and its first consecutive playoff appearances since 2006-2007. But the last two decades have felt more like treading water than making strides. Parcells pulled the Cowboys out of annual despair and at least made it competitive again, and that’s what we’ve seen during the last three coaches’ tenures. The 2007 and 2014 teams were probably the closest to Super Bowl contention but fell short in close playoff games. But even when Dallas has otherwise appeared in the postseason, they’ve had clear weaknesses that held them back from challenging the NFL elite. Now it’s back on Jerry Jones to change the trajectory of his franchise. Even if you think McCarthy is the team’s best coach since Parcells, or even Johnson, he’s been embarrassingly outclassed in his playoff exits and hasn’t gotten Dallas off this treadmill of mediocrity. His Super Bowl ring is now 14 years old and the game seems to have evolved beyond his ability to change and keep up with top-level performances. If Jones is still more concerned about shielding his traumatized self-esteem, which has been the Cowboys’ Achilles’ heel for 30 years, then we’ll either get McCarthy back or some other soft hire that provides adequate ego cushion. The team’s been close enough at times that this could produce a true championship contender, but not without a whole lot of luck. In 2025, the equivalents of the Parcells hire in 2003 would be guys like Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden. But one has already taken his talents to Chapel Hill, NC and the other is still pursuing a lawsuit against the NFL. Even if Gruden does land another head coaching job, the spotlight of the Dallas Cowboys may be more than the league or Jones wants to shine on his other issues. And frankly, even with these guys, there’d be good reason to worry that their credentials as proven winners have expired with time. But a big name with past success isn’t the only way for Jones to be bold. What if he truly went outside the box and finally struck at a young, hotshot coordinator from some other team? Not Kellen Moore, who he knows well and would basically be another Garrett-like hire. But what about the likes of a Ben Johnson (Detroit OC) or Joe Brady (Buffalo OC), who’d bring a completely fresh perspective and new vibe to the organization? Or what about Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who actually played for Parcells in Dallas from 2005-2006 but has done all of his coaching in other circles. Again, as always, it all comes back to Jerry Jones. If he’s as desperate to win one more Super Bowl as he claims then it’s time to stop getting in the way. Mike McCarthy was a retread when he hired him, a decade removed from his one championship, and has ultimately fallen short

Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images This past season was a… memorable one for the Dallas Cowboys. Blame it on injuries or poor play, the Dallas Cowboys fell well short of their goal in 2024 both missing the playoffs and ending the season with a 7-10 record. Despite the all around disappointment of how things played out this year, there were some good things that took place this season. Today, we thought we’d go ahead and take a look back at the Cowboys 2024 season and handout individual awards to certain players based on their play this year. After all, it’s a little more fun to find the silver lining than dwelling on the all of the doom and gloom that seems to be encompassing the organization here lately. MVP – CeeDee Lamb After sitting out all of training camp and preseason due to ongoing contract negotiations, CeeDee Lamb ended up earning every bit of his new four-year, $136 million deal. Despite Dallas’ QB carousel this year and battling through a painful shoulder injury that eventually caused him to shut it down with two games remaining on the schedule, No. 88 still managed to have his fourth consecutive 1000-yard receiving season, a first in franchise history. He finished 2024 with 101 catches for 1,194 yards and 6 TDs on 152 targets this year. Offensive MVP – Rico Dowdle Once the Cowboys finally decided the running-back-by-committee wasn’t working and turned to Rico Dowdle as their starter, No. 23 started to produce like one of the top backs in the league. He finished the season with 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground on 235 attempts, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, and also added another 249 yards and three touchdowns through the air on 39 catches. Outside of CeeDee Lamb, Dowdle was without a doubt Dallas’ best playmaker on the offensive side of the ball this season. Defensive MVP – Micah Parsons How impressive was Micah Parsons this year? Despite missing four games this season he still managed to hit double-digit sacks for the fourth consecutive year in a row, a feat only four other players has ever accomplished, all of which are in the Hall of Fame. In 13 games this year he finished with a total of 12 QB sacks, 43 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and 45 pressures. 11 of his 12 sacks came after he returned from injury in Week 10 and he joined only Reggie White as the only player to have 12+ sacks in the first four seasons. Rookie of the Year – Cooper Beebe Cooper Beebe’s play this year flew somewhat under the radar considering how much the Cowboys offense and their offensive line struggled throughout the season. He had his expected growing pains that comes with being a rookie, but he was pretty impressive considering he had never played center before, stepping in and more than holding his own. He looks like he will be a longtime fixture along Dallas’ OL for years to come. Most improved player – DeMarvion Overshown Due to a season-ending knee injury as a rookie, we didn’t get to see much of DeMarvion Overshown in his first year with the Cowboys. In his sophomore year though we saw him turn into a true game-changing playmaker and become one of the Cowboys best defenders. In 13 games and 12 starts this year, Overshown accumulated a combined 90 tackles, 5.0 QB sacks, four pass deflections, and one INT he returned for a TD. Another season-ending knee injury cut his season short, but hopefully he’ll return better than ever.

Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys deny Chicago Bears’ request to interview Mike McCarthy. Could he return to Dallas? – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Hopefully, this is the start of a coaching resolution for the Dallas Cowboys. After the Chicago Bears put in a request to interview Mike McCarthy on Monday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys have denied the request a little over 24 hours later, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While McCarthy’s contract with the team technically expires on Wednesday, the Cowboys will have until next Tuesday, Jan. 14, to exclusively negotiate a potential deal with the head coach of the Cowboys for the last five seasons. When Jan. 14 arrives, McCarthy will be free to interview with any team across the NFL without permission from Dallas. The decision from Jerry Jones and the Dallas front office is telling, given that Jones said on Sunday after the season finale loss to the Commanders that he would let McCarthy go talk with other teams if he decided he wanted to, adding that he wanted to work with people that wanted to be in Dallas. The clock continues to tick on a decision from Jones on McCarthy’s future, although his comments from Sunday’s postgame availability offer the idea that he would like to “go in the direction of a deal” for his return if the two sides can agree on what that looks like. “The determining [if McCarthy is back] and the negotiating [with McCarthy] is all in one motion,” Jones said. “It’s all one football motion. We’ll determine if the will is there and the terms are there.” In five seasons with the team, McCarthy owns an overall record of 49-35 including three seasons in which the team finished 12-5 sandwiched between two injury-ridden campaigns in 2020 and 2024. Cowboys deny Bears permission to interview McCarthy, source says – ESPN There is no doubt McCarthy wants to return. McCarthy said he “absolutely” wants to return to Dallas, where he has posted a 49-35 regular-season record but is just 1-3 in the playoffs. The Cowboys finished 7-10 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020, McCarthy’s first season. Jones was asked then whether he would allow a team to speak to McCarthy if it sought permission, and he said he just did something similar with running back Ezekiel Elliott, releasing him in the final week of the season for the chance to join a playoff team. “I wouldn’t want anybody coaching who didn’t want to be here,” Jones said. Jones and McCarthy are set to meet this week on the direction of the franchise. “I have a lot invested here. And the Cowboys have a lot invested in me,” McCarthy said Sunday. “And then there’s a personal side to all these decisions. They all point the right direction. I think anytime you invest your time, energy, your belief, the connection you have, the relationships that are in place here, the understanding of what the organization can do and is willing to do, those are all positive attributes that you take into account. But, you know, absolutely, I’m a builder. I believe in building programs. I believe in developing young players. So, at the end of day, it is about winning, and you have to have those components in place to get this thing where it needs to be. I think we have a very good foundation here.” McCarthy’s 174 wins are 13th in NFL history. He coached the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, winning six NFC North titles and Super Bowl XLV. Cowboys sign nine players to future contracts – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com There are a ton of familiar names on this list. Once an NFL season has concluded, practice squad players are not obligated to the team and can sign Reserve/Future contracts with any NFL franchise. These contracts are not counted as part of a team’s salary cap, and any franchise can sign as many players to future contracts if it doesn’t put them over the 90-man limit on the first day of the new league year, which is March 12 at 3 P.M. Denzel Daxon, Kelvin Harmon, Brock Mogensen, Jalen Cropper, Troy Pride, Luigi Vilain and Seth Williams are some of the mainstays from the Cowboys practice squad in 2024 signed to future deals. Of the group, Pride is the only one to appear in game action for Dallas this season. A lack of depth at cornerback allowed Pride to see the field in the Cowboys’ final two games against the Eagles and Commanders, where he tallied three tackles and a pass breakup. The Cowboys also signed their two newest faces in guard Jack Anderson and cornerback Luq Barcoo to future contracts, both of whom we’re signed to the practice squad on January 1. Anderson, a Frisco native, was a seventh-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in 2021. He’s since spent time with the Eagles, Giants, Colts, and was on the Jaguars and Panthers practice squads before signing his future deal with the Cowboys. Barcoo went undrafted in 2020 before signing with the Jaguars followed by the Cardinals, before bouncing around practice squads with the 49ers, Chiefs and Jets. In 2023, he signed with the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL, where he made the All-XFL team that season before signing with the Steelers practice squad. Dallas Cowboys kicker sends apology note to cheerleader who was hit in the head – Gina Vivinetto, Today.com Brandon Aubrey had a season-finale to remember against the Commanders. Dallas Cowboy cheerleader Michelle Siemienowski says she has “no hard feelings” against Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey after a football he kicked struck her in the head during the team’s game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Jan. 5. Siemienowski, a rookie member of the squad, was standing on the sidelines with her fellow cheerleaders when she fell to the ground after being slammed in the back of the head by Aubrey’s

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images The Dallas Cowboys have officially denied Chicago’s request for Mike McCarthy… and now we wait. The Dallas Cowboys have denied a request by the Chicago Bears to interview Mike McCarthy for their head coaching position. After a lot of ambiguity and double talk from the font office, this is the first real indication of which way Dallas may be leaning regarding McCarthy’s future with the team. McCarthy has about one week left on the five-year contract he signed with the Cowboys in 2020. Because of that, even if they have no plans to re-sign him, Dallas has to grant permission for any other team wanting to interview McCarthy until that deal expires. For whatever reason, they did not give it to the Bears. ESPN Source: The Dallas Cowboys denied permission to the Chicago Bears to interview their head coach Mike McCarthy. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2025 A return to the NFC North, where McCarthy had many good years with the Packers, was one of the more logical landing spots for him if not staying in Dallas. He is the last coach to take a team from that division to a Super Bowl, winning it in 2010. It would seem unusually cruel on the Jones family’s part to deny this request if they have no intention of bringing McCarthy back in 2025. Perhaps they’re still weighing their options before announcing a final decision, in which case it is their right to not allow another team to steal McCarthy away. But more likely than not, this is a sign that Mike McCarthy is about to get a new contract from the Cowboys.

Chris Pedota / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Cowboys are a bottom half team in the NFC East right now. Marshon Lattimore gets added urgency for Commanders’ playoff involvement – Dean Jones, RiggosRag.com Washington’s Marshon Lattimore could square off against a familiar foe in Tampa. Marshon Lattimore’s time on the field since joining the Washington Commanders has been extremely limited. If this defense wants to thrive in the postseason, they need their best coverage cornerback to make a lasting contribution. Lattimore hasn’t been seen over the final two games of the regular season. He reinjured his hamstring during a titanic battle with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown. Head coach Dan Quinn stated he was optimistic about his postseason involvement, there was just no need to force the issue with Washington’s playoff spot already secure. Marshon Lattimore will push hard to renew physical rivalry wth Mike Evans Almost as soon as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the third seed and a home wildcard tie versus Washington, the pending battle between Lattimore and Evans didn’t take long to become a hot topic of discussion across social media. This should give the former first-round pick all the incentive needed to feature in some capacity. Lattimore isn’t one to shirk a challenge. He’s highly competitive and is going to relish the chance to line up opposite Evans once again. He knows how to get into the wide receiver’s head, which will be a tremendous asset for the Commanders in pursuit of reaching the divisional round. This might speed things up from Lattimore’s perspective, but it’s not going to alter the Commanders’ approach with the shutdown boundary presence. They have a process in place and need the Ohio State product to hit specific targets before giving him the green light. That won’t change just because a must-see tussle with Evans is the prize. Evans reached the 1,000-yard receiving milestone once again with no time to spare against the New Orleans Saints. That extends his superb run since entering the league, but there is no love lost from Lattimore’s perspective if history is any indication. Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol as Eagles prepare to face Packers in playoffs – Liz Roscher, Yahoo! Sports As the postseason nears, Hurts is still in concussion protocol. Quarterback Jalen Hurts remains in concussion protocol as the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for Sunday’s wild-card game against the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Nick Sirianni told the media on Monday that Hurts is still in the protocol following the concussion he sustained early in the Eagles’ Week 16 game against the Washington Commanders. He missed the remainder of the game, which the Eagles lost, and didn’t play in Week 17 or 18. Kenny Pickett filled in for Hurts in Week 16 and part of Week 17. Tanner McKee stepped in after Pickett took a nasty shot to the ribs in Week 17, then made his very first NFL start against the New York Giants in Week 18. Sirianni didn’t give any details, which has been true of every “update” he’s given since Hurts entered the protocol on Dec. 22. The Eagles haven’t released any information on whether Hurts has been progressing through the various phases of the NFL’s return-to-participation protocol or how far he’s gotten, though Sirianni did confirm that Hurts was present at Saturday’s walkthrough. Unfortunately, since that is a non-contact club event, there isn’t much to glean from that. The Eagles beat the Packers all the way back in Week 1 during the NFL’s first game in Brazil. Both teams are much different now than they were four-plus months ago, but missing Hurts would be a tremendous blow to the Eagles’ chances. Eventually Sirianni will have to reveal more, but not until the Eagles actually hold a real practice this week. Joe Schoen: No ‘Hail Mary’s’ in trying to turn New York Giants around – Ed Valentine, BigBlueView.com New York’s front office feels big improvements are right around the corner. Joe Schoen didn’t hide from responsibility for the mess that the New York Giants have been over the past two seasons when he met with the media after the announcement he would return for a fourth season as general manager. “First and foremost, myself,” said Schoen when asked where responsibility fell following a 3-14 season. “We’re not good enough. We didn’t play well enough. I’ve got to do a better job assembling a roster with more talent so we can go out and compete at a higher level. So, I look inward, first and foremost.” Schoen said his belief that he would be brought back “never wavered.” Fixing the Giants after a combined 9-25 record the past two seasons is not an easy task. It won’t be made easier for Schoen by co-owner John Mara’s statement that “it better not take too long” for the product to get better. Schoen said they will be “looking at the organization top to bottom, trying to figure out what’s best moving forward.” Schoen knows there is a mountain to climb. He thinks the organization is in a position to have an opportunity to do so. “We’re here. We’re picking third in the draft. As we built this thing, when [quarterback] Daniel [Jones] had the ACL a year ago, not knowing how he was going to come back, we also had to be conscious of what may be on the horizon. So, you’re working on parallel tracks,” Schoen said. “So, we’re sitting here with 40-plus million dollars in cap space and over 100 the following year. So, some teams are in this situation where maybe they need a quarterback and they don’t have the financial pieces or the draft resources. So, we are in good shape from that standpoint in terms of improving the roster via free agency, trades, or through the draft. I’ve got a lot of confidence in the people in the building, the process and I’ve got a lot of faith in the plan that we have

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images There are a number of players who the Cowboys are going to have to make some decisions on soon. The 2024 NFL regular season has come to an end. For the Dallas Cowboys, the end could not come soon enough. A year that started so well with an easy win over the Cleveland Browns ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys lost their tenth game of the season to the Washington Commanders, giving up a last-second touchdown to Terry McLaurin on their final defensive play of the season. For the Cowboys, the attention now turns to getting their team ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2025. Dallas has plenty of work to do if they want to return to the playoffs next season, and there figures to be plenty of change with some impactful players set to his free agency. With that in mind, today we take a look at three players who have likely played their last game as a Cowboy. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images 1) WR Brandin Cooks 2024 was a difficult year for veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The 31-year-old suffered a knee infection in early October, forcing him to miss a significant chunk of the regular season. Cooks ended up playing in just 10 games and did not look anything like the offensive difference maker he can be. On the year, Cooks recorded career lows in receptions (26), receiving yards (259), and receiving touchdowns (3). Cooks’ knee injury clearly affected his ability to gain separation, and the veteran finished with the fourth-worst average separation rate (2.2 yards) among qualified receivers. As pivotal as Cooks was to Dallas’ offensive success in 2023, it’s hard to see the performance he put on display this season and feel positive about his long-term future. The veteran just wrapped up his eleventh season in the NFL and there are certainly some signs his career may be headed for a steady decline. If Cooks agreed to come back on a one-year deal worth $5M or less the Cowboys may be interested in retaining his services for one more season. As good as that sounds, there will almost certainly be a team willing to gamble and bet on him bouncing back, offering more money than Dallas will. Acquiring Cooks will go down as one of the better trades in recent Cowboys’ history, but it’s hard to envision a world where this was not his last season as a Cowboy. Peter Casey-Imagn Images 2) DT Osa Odighizuwa You could make a solid argument that Osa Odighizuwa is Dallas’ most important impending free agent. The 26-year-old put together the most complete season of his career this year, sustaining consistently solid play throughout the eternity of the 17-game regular season. Odighizuwa finished the year playing some of the best football we’ve seen him play as a Cowboy. In Dallas’ final seven regular season games, the former third-round pick recorded 28 total pressures, 10 QB hits, and 2.5 sacks. Odighizuwa’s 6.5 sacks and 55 total pressures were by far the most in a single season during his four-year NFL career. Everything Odighizuwa did this season should make the Cowboys want to bring him back on a long-term deal. The only problem is his productive season is going to make the 26-year-old a hot commodity on the free agent market, should he get there. Last offseason, defensive tackles Grover Stewart and Justin Jones both signed three-year deals totaling $39 and $31M respectively. Odighizuwa is younger than either of those players and is as, if not more, productive of a player. There’s a real chance a team may offer him a three or four-year deal worth $11-13M a year, which is a deal it would be hard to see the Cowboys matching. With all the potential suitors they will need to compete with, if the Cowboys allow Osa Odighizuwa to hit free agency it’s almost a guarantee he will be wearing another logo on his helmet come next fall. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images 3) QB Trey Lance I think it’s safe to say Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders could be the end of the Trey Lance experiment. When Dallas traded for Lance back before the start of the 2023 season the move did not make much sense. Flash forward two years later and it makes even less sense. Even with Dak Prescott suffering a season-ending injury back in Week 9, the Cowboys did not trust Lance enough to play him until the final game of the regular season. While he didn’t look horrible at times, completing 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards, it was made evidently clear Lance does not possess the accuracy to become a stating-caliber quarterback at the NFL level. A reunion in 2025 does not make much sense for either side. From the Cowboys’ perspective, with all the holes they need to fill on their roster paying Lance $5-6M to be maybe the backup quarterback is just not smart. Dallas could spend that money on a starting-caliber running back who would be able to help their team immediately. From Lance’s perspective, why would he want to return to an organization that did not trust him enough to play him even when it was clear the season was out of reach? The Trey Lance trade will always go down as a head-scratching move, and it seems like there’s a good chance both sides will move on this spring.