The Dallas Cowboys always have some of the most fascinating storylines in the NFL, but heading into 2024, it’s almost impossible to predict what Jerry Jones and company have planned.
If you listen to Jones, he’s sticking by his statement that Dallas is going “all in” for 2024 with the goal to finally get over the playoff hump and secure another Lombardi Trophy.
That logic made sense following the Cowboys’ early exit from the playoffs. They had a team loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and their franchise QB Dak Prescott, was leading the MVP conversation for most of the year and finished 2023 with one of his best statistical seasons as a pro. The Dallas Cowboys were undefeated at home and entered the playoffs as a No. 2 seed.
But as anyone with a pulse has come to expect, Dallas choked in the first round of the playoffs, falling to a young Green Bay Packers team who barely snuck into the postseason.
There were questions whether Jerry Jones would make significant moves after the loss, but he didn’t. He retained head coach Mike McCarthy for 2024 and made it clear Prescott was the team’s QB moving forward.
Almost every NFL Insider predicted the Dallas Cowboys would give Prescott a contract extension to free up cap space and add new talent in free agency — but instead — Jones hasn’t done a thing and is letting Dak Prescott play out the final year of his contract.
But there are questions surrounding the futures of the other two star players for the Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.
As of now, the expectation is that Lamb will become one of the highest paid wide receivers in the NFL before the start of the 2024 season.
With Prescott’s price tag only continuing to rise, it seems impossible to keep the team’s three superstars together on the roster after this season.
That’s why one former Cowboys scout believes Parsons could be traded.
Former Dallas Cowboys Scout Believes Micah Parsons Will Be Traded
Former Cowboys scout Bryan Broaddus believes the front office may explore a blockbuster trade for Parsons if Prescott does not take less money. The longtime NFL scout explained that Dallas would not only save money but net significant draft capital by moving the star defender.
“[Prescott] could offer them a solution to try and get things done [by taking less money],”the former Dallas Cowboys scout explained during a July 19, 2024, episode of “Love of the Star” podcast. “If they don’t do that, I see Micah Parsons being potentially traded from this organization.“
“… I believe where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and I think there’s a lot of smoke about Micah Parsons right now. Even though his contract is the furthest away from having to deal with it. There’s tags and things like that you can use. My gut feeling is he might fetch the most draft capital of the three players [via trade], if that makes sense.”
Parsons is heading into the final season of a four-year, $17 million rookie contract. The Dallas Cowboys have already picked up Parsons’ fifth-year option for 2025.
This keeps Parsons under contract for at least another two seasons, and Dallas has the franchise tag to potentially use on the star in 2027. The challenge is Parsons is going to eventually need to get paid. Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton projected that Parsons will earn a five-year, $200 million contract, with $130 million in guaranteed money, on his next deal.
“If he wins 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, the Dallas Cowboys will likely have to sign off on a record-setting deal to satisfy his contract demands,” Moton wrote in a July 16, article titled, “Projecting Contracts for NFL Players Who Could Reset Major Position Markets in 2025.”
“… On top of that, Parsons has the versatility to impact the game in different ways as an edge-rusher and off-ball linebacker. Parsons isn’t worried about a contract extension because he knows that his big payday will come soon.”
With all this to consider, it feels impossible for the Dallas Cowboys to keep all three superstars, so someone likely won’t be on the team next season.
