Jerry Jones: Cowboys’ offer to Parsons was richest for non-QB – Todd Archer, ESPN
Jerry tries to tell his side of the story in public, instead of working behind the scenes.
Jones said he and Parsons agreed to the length of the deal, guaranteed money and total money.
“I’ve agreed to give more money than has ever been given in terms of guaranteed money than anyone ever has as far as a defensive player,” Jones said. “I’ve done that. Now, I am the cat that writes the check. Now Micah’s got three years with the Cowboys left. He’s got three years. At some point somebody has to have the say
over the other. At some point it has to be that way.
“My job is managing the check, OK? Micah’s got to do the playing. Where’s the least important part of this whole equation that we’re talking about? … The attorney or the agent, OK? He works for Micah.”
[…]
Also on Irvin’s YouTube channel, Jones added, “We’ve got this deal resolved, in my mind, for the Dallas Cowboys. We’ve got it done, and if the agents want to finish up the details, which he should [do] and do all the paperwork, he can do that. And we’re ready to go, but as far as the amount of money, years, guarantees, we’ve negotiated that.”
Jones appears content to let Parsons play this season on the fifth-year option, which costs $21.324 million, and consider using the franchise tags in the future. On Wednesday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he was confident Parsons will be on the field for the season opener against the Eagles.
“We’ve really got three years to work this thing out,” Jones said. “It’s a basic contract. It’s there to go. I did that with Dak [Prescott]. And we couldn’t agree, so Dak played his last year of his contract, then we franchised him. So it’s exactly what happened with Dak, and we moved forward, and ultimately we got a contract and made Dak the highest-paid player in the NFL. So the precedent is handling it like Dak. … If he doesn’t, it’s very costly. It’s very costly for everybody.”
Schottenheimer confident Cowboys will have Parsons for opener – Todd Archer, ESPN
Why are we even in this stupid Micah Parsons situation?
The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons do not appear any closer to a contract extension than they were at the start of training camp, but coach Brian Schottenheimer is confident the Pro Bowl edge rusher will be available for the Sept. 4 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I think at the end of the day, we feel like Micah’s going to be out there when we line up against Philadelphia here in 15 days or whatever it is,” Schottenheimer said before Wednesday’s practice.
Is that with or without an extension?
“I feel good that Micah’s going to be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Schottenheimer said.
[…]
“Micah’s another guy, he takes great care of his body. Again, you’d like it sooner rather than later, but Micah’s going to be prepared,” Schottenheimer said. “I go back to the thing that each situation is different. Micah knows his body as well as anybody. The best thing of him being here is that he has been able to do some of the walkthroughs. He has been able to be in the meetings. He understands some of the calls and the different packages and stuff that we’re going to use. That’s a huge advantage. Then obviously the physical side of it, usually the players are the experts with where their bodies are.”
Without the on-field work, Parsons could be susceptible to getting hurt, particularly with a soft-tissue injury.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to change direction. You have to do things. It’s not just getting on a treadmill. There has be change of direction, things like that,” Schottenheimer said. “Injuries are a part of the game. Again, I have complete faith in our strength staff, our trainers and all that stuff, that they’re doing the things they need to do for him to go out and perform well. Micah’s obviously a pretty good football player. One thing he has not lost the ability to do is rush the passer and make plays.”
Players 2 Watch: Finally getting first look at Jaydon Blue – Staff, DallasCowboys.com
The Falcons game and the storylines around some of the players.
Jay Toia: The defensive tackle play this preseason has left much to be desired. This is where rookie seventh-round pick Jay Toia could make a very real impact, but it has to begin sooner than later. With only one preseason game remaining, and 75 preseason snaps under his belt, Toia has but one tackle. To be fair, nose tackles aren’t only gauged by that number — his ability to eat up double teams to free up edge rushers is, no pun intended, a big deal — but more of an impact needs to be had overall, particularly in run defense. The ability is there, and hopefully it flashes against Atlanta. (-Patrik Walker)
Jaydon Blue: At long last, it appears that rookie fifth round pick Jaydon Blue will make his debut after dealing with an ankle injury the last two weeks. Blue, who played three years at Texas, was turning heads in Oxnard with his quick burst out of the backfield and in the passing game. Blue ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and the Cowboys staff is excited about how his speed can change games for them when he gets out in space. He’s also a threat in the passing game, where he scored six receiving touchdowns for the Longhorns last season. Friday should be his first opportunity to show just how much he can do in the offense. (-Tommy Yarrish)
Mazi Smith – This one is coming down to the wire at defensive tackle. Not sure if Mazi even plays – if he doesn’t that’s probably a good thing for him. Then again, you wouldn’t expect a first-round pick from 2023 to play the final preseason game but that’s where we are. Some people think Mazi will not make it to the 53-man roster, but I just have a hard time thinking the Cowboys will cut ties with him. That doesn’t mean he has to start but I feel like the Cowboys aren’t ready to completely cut ties with him. Obviously, he isn’t close to meeting expectations for a first-round pick but considering the circumstances that he’s been in three different systems and three different D-line coaches, it just hasn’t been the best situation for him. Yes, I understand there are about 12 other guys on this defense in the same boat but every case is different. In Mazi’s case, I think the Cowboys still hang on to him but I’ll be interested to see if he plays, and then how he plays Friday night. (- Nick Eatman)
Cowboys still have important questions to answer at backup QB as preseason concludes – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
The Joe Milton experiment rolls on.
The Cowboys entered training camp seeking a backup to starting quarterback Dak Prescott.
Joe Milton, whom team officials are still examining, will start the final preseason game Friday night against Atlanta. Yet, Milton hasn’t been given the No. 2 gig with coach Brian Schottenheimer saying the club continues to figure out just what type of quarterback they have.
Will Grier is the No. 3 quarterback and team officials say they know who Grier is. However, given Prescott’s health history, he’s missed games every other season since 2019, finding a capable backup seems to be eluding the Cowboys.
In his career, Grier has played in just two regular-season games, back in 2019 for Carolina. And in those games, he had more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (0). Since 2019, Grier has been employed on the practice squads of Dallas, Cincinnati, New England and Philadelphia. While Grier knows different offenses and has maturity, it’s difficult to understand why the Cowboys can say they know what he is as a quarterback.
In training camp practices and in the two preseason games, Milton has played more snaps than Grier.
“Will gets opportunities to compete in different ways,” Schottenheimer said. “He gets opportunities to compete in practice, he gets his opportunity to play in games. We compete in a lot of different ways. We compete in meetings. Again, I think I’ve been very clear, we’re not naming a backup right now. But a guy that I feel like we don’t have as much information on is Joe Milton.”
6 Early Breakout Candidates From the 2025 NFL Preseason – Moe Moton, Bleacher Report
The Cowboys sure could use a breakout corner.
Because of injuries, the Dallas Cowboys will likely field a short-handed secondary at the beginning of the 2025 season. Trevon Diggs (knee surgery) and rookie third-rounder Shavon Revel Jr. (torn ACL) are still on the mend.
Moreover, the Cowboys allowed cornerback Jourdan Lewis to sign elsewhere in free agency, which opened up a vacancy in their nickel defense. Israel Mukuamu can fill that slot position.
Mukuamu has lined up in both safety spots, on the boundary and in the slot. He’s taken advantage of his opportunities to showcase his versatility.
In two preseason outings, the 25-year-old has four tackles and an interception.
The Cowboys selected Mukuamu in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. He’s suited up for 50 games but only started in three back in 2022. Now with a vacancy in the slot, the team’s Swiss Army knife can carve out a consistent workload in a depleted secondary.
