Cowboys’ George Pickens feels ‘super prepared’ for contract talks with Jerry Jones, Dak Prescott gives advice – Garrett Podell, CBS Sports
George Pickens will have all eyes and ears on him once contract talk begins with Jerry Jones.
With Mulugheta well aware of how Jones operates, Pickens feels “super prepared” for contract talks with Jones.
“Super prepared,” Pickens said Thursday. “I definitely leave that type of stuff to my agent because I let them [Mulugheta and Jones] talk the deals, and all that stuff but definitely super prepared.”
Part of that preparation is also advice from Prescott, the Cowboys’ longest-tenured player who has
come out on the other side of two contentious contract extension negotiations with a deal to remain in Dallas long-term both times. Even though the end result has been pretty for Prescott, he’s now the NFL’s highest-paid player in terms of average per year salary ($60 million) on his four-year, $240 million deal, he didn’t enjoy the process with Jones. One of the things Prescott did do was avoid getting into direct financial conversations with Jerry and Stephen Jones, opting to let Todd France, his agent, handle that end of the agreement.
“I’ll give it [my advice] to George. One, just don’t let it get personal. At the end of the day, this is business. Both sides are going to want negotiations,” Prescott said. “Honestly, mine and Jerry’s weren’t pretty at all right? I wasn’t talking to him for some time. I remember I went and signed and he told me that ‘when two sides are trying to agree, you’re not going to want to see each other’s differences. Or you can’t see each other’s differences.’ But the moment you get to a contract, you shake hands, and you got to let all that go. We did that, and so it’s the same mindset going into these things. Things are going to come up. Things aren’t going to sit right. You’re going to feel slighted when they give you a million or two less than whatever you said. It’s just the business: play the game, play it back, but don’t let it get personal.”
Pickens acknowledged he’s aware of how things went down with Parsons, which is one of the reasons why he isn’t looking to directly inject himself into his own contract talks with Jones. CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, a former agent himself, projects Pickens’ long-term deal to compare similarly to the four-year, $132 million extension wide receiver DK Metcalf signed with the Steelers this past offseason.
“Definitely two different positions I would say, but then again, Micah is Micah, and I’m me,” Pickens said. “Definitely just let them [Mulugheta and Jones] do their thing.”
Jerry Jones on Cowboys’ decision to wave CB Trevon Diggs – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
The rocky relationship between Trevon Diggs and the Cowboys finally came to end.
This offseason, Diggs decided to rehab his injured knee outside of the Cowboys’ team facilities and instead go to South Florida. Because of a clause in his contract that stated Diggs was required to be at 84.375 percent of Dallas’ offseason program, the team activated a de-escalator of $500,000 from his annual salary. Jones was asked if that incident broke the relationship between Diggs and the organization.
“A lot is made of relationships, and they’re important, but at the end of the day I’ve seen players have great careers and not necessarily be excited about who the coach is, or who their GM is, or who their owner is,” Jones said. “It gets down to the one that lives with what they are, themselves, and probably their second most important commiseration, their teammates…”
“I have an unbelievably high ceiling on what I think of players who give it up and play football. They have to really, especially at the NFL level, given up a lot to get here. The ones that really take advantage of it? I can’t tell you how much I admire them.”
Cowboys CB Caelen Carson excited for chance to play vs. NYG, and what comes next – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
The second-year cornerback will get some much-needed playing time in Week 18.
FRISCO — Don’t get him wrong: Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson is excited for the potential to start on Sunday in the season finale against the New York Giants. He’s only played in 13 games through two NFL seasons. He hasn’t played since Dec. 14.
All signs indicate that Carson, as well as rookie corner Trikweze Bridges, could start the season finale with Trevon Diggs in Green Bay, DaRon Bland out for the season, and corner Shavon Revel Jr. out and still in the concussion protocol after last Thursday’s win in Washington.
“My approach has always been the same,” Carson said. “I just really keep my head down and work. You never know what could happen.”
Carson’s increased excitement was evident, however, when talking about the part that comes after Sunday’s game. New things can spark that type of feeling.
Carson pointed out this week that it’s been a while since he’s had a full healthy offseason. Last year, Carson spent the first part of his offseason recovering from season-ending shoulder surgery. It took a while before he could run. Once he could, he was quickly sidelined again. He suffered a hyperextended knee in late July. He ultimately didn’t return to practice until his 21-day window was opened on Oct. 1.
Jerry Jones addresses Micah Parsons’ latest criticism amid lingering tension after Cowboys split – Chantz Martin, Fox News
There’s been some recent fireworks between Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones.
The Dallas Cowboys fell short of the NFL playoffs this season. While Dak Prescott has powered a strong offense and enters Week 18 as the league’s leading passer, the Cowboys’ defense has underwhelmed at times this year.
Dallas’ defensive unit was thrust into the spotlight when star pass rusher Micah Parsons was traded to the Green Bay Packers in August. Parsons, who will miss the rest of the regular season and the entire postseason with an ACL injury, recently assessed the Cowboys’ defense.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus acknowledged the heavy void after Parsons’ departure, an admission Parsons responded to with several laughing emoji.
Parsons defended his response by pointing to how longtime team owner Jerry Jones’ handling of Parsons’ reputation played out.
“Y’all want me to feel bad?” Parsons wrote Thursday on X. “Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months. So I do think I can react to comment if I want to!”
Jones addressed those comments from the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year during his routine appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas.
“I wish Micah the very best,” Jones said. “I’d love to have Micah on the team. But we just couldn’t afford him. We wanted four or five players more than we did him. But he’s outstanding. I understand his sensitivity and can even understand these comments.”
Cowboys injury report: DeMarvion Overshown, top RBs ruled out – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys
Here’s the injury situation for the Cowboys ahead of their season finale.
A season that had so much promise for the Dallas Cowboys has come to its final week. They are hoping to at least say they didn’t have a losing season by playing for an 8-8-1 record against the lowly New York Giants. Injuries have taken their toll all season, and heading into the finale, it’s more of the same. Some key players will be ruled out, and others are genuinely questionable to play in Week 18. Here’s the final injury report of the 2025 season.
The Cowboys have ruled out a handful players for the season finale. DeMarvion Overshown (concussion) and Shavon Revel (concussion/neck) will not play against the Giants. Running backs Javonte Williams (shoulder/neck) and Malik Davis (calf/eye) have also been ruled out. Neither Davis nor Williams has practiced this week, making it a possibility that Jaydon Blue sees significant playing time in the game. Starting guard T.J. Bass (knee) will also miss the game.
KaVontae Turpin (shoulder/foot), Quinnen Williams (neck), Jake Ferguson (calf) and Tyler Booker (ankle) do not carry an injury designation and will play versus the Giants.
Jaydon Blue Will Decide Cowboys’ RB Plans for the Offseason in Week 18 – Devon Platana, Sport DFW
The rookie gets his shot to prove himself on Sunday.
Cowboys Might Finally Unleash Jaydon Blue in Week 18
Without Williams and Davis playing this weekend, the Cowboys’ backfield will be shorthanded. Miles Sanders has been on the injured reserve since earlier this season, and while fellow rookie RB Phil Mafah had his practice window open on Dec. 17, Dallas might play it safe with him if he does make his NFL debut on Sunday.
Throw in the fact that Israel Abanikanda is the only rusher on the practice squad, and it’s easy to see why Blue might be suiting up as the Cowboys’ RB1 this weekend. If that’s the case, it’ll be up to him to prove that it isn’t a wasted opportunity.
It’s been a quiet rookie campaign for Blue, who’s often been a healthy scratch, limiting him to four appearances so far. He hasn’t played in a game since Week 8, though, as he failed to make the most of his early-season chances. He managed to turn 22 carries into just 65 rushing yards (3.0 yards per attempt) and three first downs before the Cowboys decided that he was better off on the sidelines until further notice.
If Blue can make the most of his (likely) opportunity on Sunday, the Cowboys might have a better idea of what to do with the RB room this offseason. A strong effort vs. New York could have Dallas feeling more confident about the idea of Blue coming back as the RB1 next year if Williams becomes too expensive in free agency. The Giants are allowing 5.2 yards per carry (32nd) and 145.4 rushing yards per game (31st), after all.
