Micah Parsons is unlikely to be traded by the Dallas Cowboys, according to Stephen Jones

The Dallas Cowboys don’t care what you think. They’re ready to do it again. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones spoke with NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport this week and offered a potentially bleak outlook for the upcoming offseason. This is the offseason that follows a terrible season built on the foundation of a terrible offseason. The little pig who built his house on sand had a more stable structure.

Stephen Jones told Ian Rapoport that the team will evaluate and review their commitment to top players, emphasizing that in their opinion it is somewhat unwise to tie so much to a handful of players (in terms of the salary cap).

For Dallas, it’s been the kind of season that will end in disappointment no matter how the final four games of the regular season go.

That’s why the team’s officials will spend the offseason examining how they got there and what led them down this frustrating path. Notable: Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, vice president of player personnel Will McClay and other members of team leadership will examine the impact that signing high-profile, high-profile players has on the rest of their roster.

“To me, it would be irresponsible if you didn’t look at the whole body of work and the bigger picture every year and how these guys fit into that bigger picture,” Stephen Jones told NFL.com at the conclusion of the NFL’s December league meeting in Las Colinas. Texas, on Wednesday, “and how we want to think about our team in terms of the bigger picture going forward.”

Let’s pause here for a moment.

It’s objectively true that the Cowboys have signed “high-earning, high-profile, high-profile” players recently. Trevon Diggs, Zack Martin and Dak Prescott are all players who signed huge contracts but missed time this season, which fits this particular point. Of course you can add CeeDee Lamb to the mix, but he hasn’t missed the point if we’re upset about it.

However, it’s important to emphasize here that the team completely stretched out the two most recent deals, Prescott and Lamb. It goes without saying that there are differing opinions on whether or not the Cowboys should have specifically extended Prescott, but even if you’re someone who didn’t want to, you can certainly see that if the team had been more forward-thinking about it at the time You would have saved money compared to the salary cap. What’s more, if they had gotten ahead of it, they would be a lot closer to getting out of it now, if we want to make the point even further.

We live even more in this point – as we have discussed many times – and conclude such deals in advance Also gives you the flexibility to sign other players to improve your squad. This is basic basic knowledge that does not need to be learned specifically in the front office. It’s just common sense.

But the Cowboys didn’t adhere to that philosophy last season and left themselves vulnerable down low. Unfortunately, no one is truly prepared when a rash of injuries occurs, but the Cowboys were a disaster even before they started losing key contracts. They watched the team hit rock bottom and did nothing to replace it.

However, apparently they believe they did. This line specifically suggests that Dallas believes they have “focused” on high-end players. This is also true, but not without further ado.

All of this has led to internal research taking off. In other words, would it be better for the Cowboys to sign a stronger middle class or upper middle class of players rather than the high end players?

“I think it’s a balancing act that you always have to pay attention to,” Jones said Wednesday. “Especially when your good, good players get injured and are not on the field. It completely compounds the problem when you lose guys like Dak, and Diggs misses games, Zack Martin misses games, and it just magnifies something like that. They’ll say, ‘God, are we smart by tying so much money to the top five to 10 players?'”

The idea that Dallas has to choose a path like in an adventure game is silly. They are able to sign multiple players from across the financial spectrum. One would think that Stephen would have recognized this when he mentioned the losses of Prescott, Diggs and Martin. Yes, these players command huge amounts of money compared to the rest of the squad, but that’s why you need to look after them as efficiently as possible to give yourself the flexibility that we continue to use.

The next opportunity for that lesson has already taken a step toward inefficiency, as the Cowboys failed to extend Micah Parsons in his first offseason. Conversations with him will be the focus of the offseason and Stephen noted that this entire mindset will play a role in how they talk and think about him.

Parsons was clear from the start that he didn’t want to go anywhere else. he told NFL Network on the red carpet last February NFL Honors“I hope I’m a cowboy for life.” And whenever he’s been asked since, he’s offered a convincing version of those intentions.

But Parsons is also entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025, a fifth-year option worth more than $24 million. He waited patiently for Prescott and Lamb to get paid. This offseason, it’s his turn.

Asked if the mindset will change when it’s Parsons’ turn to negotiate a potential deal, given the strain that big contracts can put on a company, Jones said: “Yes, those will all be things that we will be taken into consideration.”

“Obviously we’re all about Dak and CeeDee,” Jones told NFL.com, “but after that you still shape things, including Micah.” But Micah is a great player. In this league, you don’t do well when you usually let guys like Micah leave the house.”

If Parsons were indeed available via trade, he would be the highest-profile defensive player on the block since the Raiders sent Khalil Mack to the Bears in 2018 in a package that included two first-round picks and more.

Specifically, Jones was asked: Could Parsons be traded?

“We love Micah,” Jones said. “I can’t imagine there being a scenario where he doesn’t wear a star on his helmet.”

It suggests that Parsons waited “patiently,” and while some may roll their eyes at this, this is objectively true. Parsons could have held out and forced the Cowboys to make a move this past offseason, but he showed up, put in the work and continued to deliver impressive performances even though the season was all but officially lost.

As if that wasn’t enough, Parsons has been one of the most dominant players in the NFL since he arrived almost four years ago. He’s a player you really want to pay and therefore definitely want to pay as quickly as possible, but as mentioned, this particular ship has sailed.

It appears the Cowboys are laying the groundwork for a similar offseason with public comments. That would be hard to imagine, but tell me you don’t feel that way reading this.