FRISCO, Texas – The NFL Draft is two days away, but the Dallas Cowboys are still looking for ways to improve beyond the current 10 selections of 7 or more rounds from Thursday to Saturday.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference that the Cowboys are working on a “pretty substantial deal” with players, but he did not provide any details other than saying he was receiving calls with the team.
The Cowboys have traded quarterback Traylance, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, wide receiver chef Brandin and cornerback Stephen Gilmore in recent years, but have not been a huge hit since adding midseason Amari Cooper’s addition to the 2018 Trade Deadline. (Buffalo Bills).
NFLPA figures show that the Cowboys have more than $37 million in their pay cap space, but that chunk goes to draft picks, add practice squads, resolve injuries and incentives.
Jones had a long history of doing draft day trading. Since Jones took over the Cowboys in 1989, the team has made 72 deals. The final deal was made in 2021, when Dallas came in 12th on a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and was still leaving with Mika Parsons.
The Cowboys and Parsons are working on a long-term extension that makes him potentially a non-quarter-long salary in the NFL. Speaking at the annual league meeting last month, Jones said he and Parsons met “five to six hours” to reach an agreement on the length of the transaction, guaranteed money and overall money, but details of the deal had to be resolved between Executive Vice President Steven Jones and Parsons’ agent David Margueta.
“If you trust me, and we can sign Mika to the number we want to sign him, we’ll do it now,” Stephen Jones said Tuesday. “But for now, it’s the right numbers for how we feel, and what he feels is the right numbers.”
Parsons is involved in the early part of the Cowboys offseason program that began last week. Jerry Jones said he was “not surprised” that Parsons is in attendance and believes he will help Parsons in the long run.
“The assumption here is that we are trying to accomplish something, so he should know how important his work is around here, and how important it is to leadership that he is working here,” Jerry Jones said. “That’s a big deal. That’s the main reason why I took away some of the attitudes I took about this. Mika has to be promoted in his leadership and when he gets the expected contract, it’s going to be a downer if he doesn’t improve his leadership.”
Speaking at the charity event Tuesday night, Parsons said the deal wasn’t about dollar numbers, but about what the Cowboys think they’re worthy, and that completing the expansion is “very important.”
“You’ve seen so many players struggle when they’re not in camp. They got off to a slow start. “I want to run in this league and establish myself, get some wins early in the season and get into rhythm. It’s very important to me to lead these guys.”
Parsons said he would continue to participate in the offseason program, but suggested that he might not be able to work on the field. He now respects new coach Brian Schottenheimer and says he is trying to grow as a leader while trying to build their relationship.
“I still have to learn the playbook. I’m not an iPad person who can continue learning,” Parsons said. “Like, I have to go through it. Maybe I’m not in the field part of it, but I’ll learn where I’m at least preparing to prepare for the first week.”
