We’ve talked all offseason, and even going back to last year, about the new contracts due to QB Dak Prescott, LB Micah Parsons, and WR CeeDee Lamb. While we’re still waiting for just one of these to get resolved, it’s hard not to look down the pike and see the next wave of Dallas Cowboys nearing the end of their rookie contracts.
Sure, Prescott’s future is the key here no matter who else you talk about. Playing the most important and expensive position in football, Prescott’s money will be a major factor in what Dallas is able to do with their other talent. Lamb and Parsons are also critical; All-Pro talents at positions with some of the highest payrolls. Keeping all three of them long-term is doable but we’re still waiting for the first domino to fall.
One reason why these talks may be taking so long is that the Cowboys have more All-Pro mouths to feed in the near future. The 2022 draft class is entering its third year, just one behind Parsons in terms of tenure and contract expiration. And even in just two seasons, we already have two elite NFL players from that draft, LG Tyler Smith and CB DaRon Bland, plus another budding star in TE Jake Ferguson.
Like Prescott and Parsons, Smith and Bland were both Second-Team All-Pros in 2023. Smith emerged as one of football’s dominant guards and Bland had a record-breaking year with his five pick-sixes, nine interceptions total, for Dallas’ defense. Ferguson also broke out with his first Pro Bowl trip, finishing the year in the Top 10 for catches, yards, and touchdowns among tight ends.
