Method to the madness?

[Stash]

First off, I’d like to state that this thread is not an attempt to defend the way the Cowboys handle their big contracts. I do not agree with how the Joneses have done business lately.

But in looking at the Parsons deal and potential deals for Tyler Smith, Daron Bland, and possibly George Pickens it got me wondering.

Micah Parsons is undeniably a great player and a top pass rusher, but he also plays at arguably the Cowboys most well-stocked position.

Could - the key word here - could the Cowboys live without him in the future?

If EZE is what early reviews suggest. If Sam Williams shows he’s back and a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Cowboys live without Parsons?

Would the team be better off with draft picks and cap space to retain the other players mentioned above?

I don’t think there’s any cap magic that would allow you to pay Parsons $41 million a year-plus and still afford Smith, Bland, and Pickens.

But if you were to tag and/or trade Parsons next year? It might then be manageable.

My thinking is that Diggs is in his last season in Dallas anyway, and his numbers could be replaced with a new deal for Bland.

So I’m wondering, are the Cowboys playing this one out and keeping their options open? Or is this just yet another example of the Joneses poor management?

 

[Parcells4Life]

I agree the pass rushers on this team are awesome and letting Micah go helps save $ for the future.

It may be that Ezeiraku is a lot better than they envisioned, but if you think he’s expendable why not trade him before the draft?

I was also ok with the Mavs trading Luka but the problem was they didn’t get enough for him. Waiting this long the Cowboys won’t get enough for Micah either. He can walk after the season unless they tag him which in theory brings his number down since it’s an average of the top 5.

Just can you trust an aging Dante Fowler and on again/off again Sam Williams to provide depth going forward? Kneelands shown nothing special and was billed as just a run defender.

 

[daveferr33]

Given the track record, my money is on poor management.

But I am sure they think there is a method to the madness.

He'll ultimately get a huge deal.

 

[Ironicalicon]

They're terrified of not having him and he'll get 45m+.

 

[jazzcat22]

I rather have the combination of Bland, Pickens, Smith and some high draft picks to be honest when you really think about it.
But losing a player like Parsons is tough. Williams would need to play terrific. If you can have EZE and Micah for years if can make average players cheap contracts look and play g=better.

And another player to think about. If Diggs is gone, and if Elam pans out, plays well. He will be a player that will need to sign as well.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Letting one of the best players in the league go in his prime would certainly be a decision.

 

[Flamma]

First off, I’d like to state that this thread is not an attempt to defend the way the Cowboys handle their big contracts. I do not agree with how the Joneses have done business lately.

But in looking at the Parsons deal and potential deals for Tyler Smith, Daron Bland, and possibly George Pickens it got me wondering.

Micah Parsons is undeniably a great player and a top pass rusher, but he also plays at arguably the Cowboys most well-stocked position.

Could - the key word here - could the Cowboys live without him in the future?

If EZE is what early reviews suggest. If Sam Williams shows he’s back and a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Cowboys live without Parsons?

Would the team be better off with draft picks and cap space to retain the other players mentioned above?

I don’t think there’s any cap magic that would allow you to pay Parsons $41 million a year-plus and still afford Smith, Bland, and Pickens.

But if you were to tag and/or trade Parsons next year? It might then be manageable.

My thinking is that Diggs is in his last season in Dallas anyway, and his numbers could be replaced with a new deal for Bland.

So I’m wondering, are the Cowboys playing this one out and keeping their options open? Or is this just yet another example of the Joneses poor management?

I would first like to see how well stocked the position is to begin with. Because the only serious pass rusher I've seen on the Cowboys is Parsons. The rest haven't done him any favors so far. I can't just assume Sam and EZ are going to be edge monsters.

Yes, they can pay them all. Especially if Diggs is gone next year. It's about wanting to spend that much money. They'd have to really push a lot of money back. Or forward, depending on how you're looking at it.

Parsons is not going to be a 41M dollar cap hit. He's going to be around a 15M cap hit. Bland and Diggs would cancel out, then it's Smith and Pickens next year. Parsons would then be the first of the three to get a contract restructure a few years down the road. That's how you afford all of the players.

It's not going to play out that way. Parsons will get paid. Pickens and Bland are gone next year. Diggs either stays or goes depending on how he plays this year. The Cowboys always take the easy route. They reset after every season.

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

Johnny Walker Blue + 82 year old brain = what could go wrong

 

[JohnsKey19]

Trading Parsons as he's just entering his prime years is possibly the dumbest thing considered on this message board. So we're supposed to believe the bozo front office will suddenly learn how to build a good defensive line with 2 extra 1st round picks? Or use any money saved in free agency? Please...

 

[Creeper]

I do agree that having all these players to sign is going to be a problem, but maybe not as much as people think.

Look at where they are today with their CAP numbers for 2026 and 2027.

Dak is $74 million and $68 million
CeeDee -s $38 million and $41 million
Diggs is $18 million and $23 million
OSA is $20 million and $24.5 million
Steele is $18 million and $21 million
Micah is $26.5 million if they franchise tag him. If they sign him to an extension his 2026 number will probably be low but his 2027 number will be somewhere in the area of $30 million.

If they do nothing their CAP number for these players is $176 million. The CAP for 2026 is projected to be about $295 million. Which leaves Dallas with about $119 million to sign everyone else. But they are currently sitting on $34 million in CAP space which they can roll over into 2026 if they don't use it. That gives them $143 million CAP space for the rest of the roster if they do nothing.

If they trade or release Diggs and Steele, they can save another $21 million in 2026. That brings them to $164 million for the remaining players.

But they also have $16 million in dead money (so far) for Zack Martin so subtract that which brings us back to $148 million.

In 2026 the bottom 47 players add up to a total of $118.1 in CAP space. Even if they sign Micah, Tyler Smith, Aubrey and Ferguson to new contracts, I suspect they will be fine in 2026 with room to spare. My guess though is Diggs, Steele and Ferguson will be gone next year and replaced by cheaper players and any new contracts will more than likely be low CAP numbers in the first year.

Over-the-CAP shows Dallas with about $4 million in CAP space in 2026 with 54 players signed. But that does not include any carry over CAP money from 2025. Maybe now we know why Jerry is sitting on that $34 million now.

I think the problem will be 2027 when all these contracts and their CAP numbers get bigger. It will get worse if Jerry chooses to restructure some contracts in 2026 pushing money into 2027 and the years after that. I haven't done the math for 2027 but if they sign Micah and Tyler and Pickens, I sense 2027 will be a tough year CAP-wise.

 

[InPhiltraitor]

You could categorize this as mismanagement but I think Mr. Jones lets ego, image, and headline stealing play too big a part.

Stick w/ me on this a sec.

If you’ve seen ‘A Few Good Men’ you’ll recall at the end of the movie Tom Cruises character is railing away at Jack Nicholson’s character in an attempt to get him to admit to an order that he gave costing a soldier his life. Nicholson easily could have denied this, but his arrogance and need to put his dominance on display overwhelmed proper decision making and he got himself pinched.

When negotiating high profile players, this is Jerry playing the equivalent to Nicholson’s character. His way of saying, “You want me on that wall…you need me on that wall”. Jerry WANTS the recognition of being the man that paid the highest salary to keep players of Parson’s ilk in Dallas. Dumb business decision-making be damned! Jerry’s saying, “look at what I can do that no one else could or would” regardless of what it cost in the long run.

Henceforth, moving forward, I’m considering just referring to Jerry Jones as Colonel ( why isn’t there an “r” in this word) Jessup.

 

[Bobhaze]

You could categorize this as mismanagement but I think Mr. Jones lets ego, image, and headline stealing play too big a part.

Stick w/ me on this a sec.

If you’ve seen ‘A Few Good Men’ you’ll recall at the end of the movie Tom Cruises character is railing away at Jack Nicholson’s character in an attempt to get him to admit to an order that he gave costing a soldier his life. Nicholson easily could have denied this, but his arrogance and need to put his dominance on display overwhelmed proper decision making and he got himself pinched.

When negotiating high profile players, this is Jerry playing the equivalent to Nicholson’s character. His way of saying, “You want me on that wall…you need me on that wall”. Jerry WANTS the recognition of being the man that paid the highest salary to keep players of Parson’s ilk in Dallas. Dumb business decision-making be damned! Jerry’s saying, “look at what I can do that no one else could or would” regardless of what it cost in the long run.

Henceforth, moving forward, I’m considering just referring to Jerry Jones as Colonel ( why isn’t there an “r” in this word) Jessup.

Really good post. I think there’s a lot of truth to your assessment.

 

[conner01]

First off, I’d like to state that this thread is not an attempt to defend the way the Cowboys handle their big contracts. I do not agree with how the Joneses have done business lately.

But in looking at the Parsons deal and potential deals for Tyler Smith, Daron Bland, and possibly George Pickens it got me wondering.

Micah Parsons is undeniably a great player and a top pass rusher, but he also plays at arguably the Cowboys most well-stocked position.

Could - the key word here - could the Cowboys live without him in the future?

If EZE is what early reviews suggest. If Sam Williams shows he’s back and a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Cowboys live without Parsons?

Would the team be better off with draft picks and cap space to retain the other players mentioned above?

I don’t think there’s any cap magic that would allow you to pay Parsons $41 million a year-plus and still afford Smith, Bland, and Pickens.

But if you were to tag and/or trade Parsons next year? It might then be manageable.

My thinking is that Diggs is in his last season in Dallas anyway, and his numbers could be replaced with a new deal for Bland.

So I’m wondering, are the Cowboys playing this one out and keeping their options open? Or is this just yet another example of the Joneses poor management?

If you planned to not sign Micah then you should have traded him before the draft. That’s a huge part of the problem. There’s no overal plan to maintain the roster.

 

[Whyjerry]

For all the pay Parsons guys…

Are you worried about him at all? It will take big money to lock him up. You think his arrow is still pointing up? You think he is a leader? Does the podcasting stuff bother you? Would a couple 1s make you feel better?

Don’t get worked up I am genuinely interested.

Parsons has big risk in my opinion.

 

[Bobhaze]

First off, I’d like to state that this thread is not an attempt to defend the way the Cowboys handle their big contracts. I do not agree with how the Joneses have done business lately.

But in looking at the Parsons deal and potential deals for Tyler Smith, Daron Bland, and possibly George Pickens it got me wondering.

Micah Parsons is undeniably a great player and a top pass rusher, but he also plays at arguably the Cowboys most well-stocked position.

Could - the key word here - could the Cowboys live without him in the future?

If EZE is what early reviews suggest. If Sam Williams shows he’s back and a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Cowboys live without Parsons?

Would the team be better off with draft picks and cap space to retain the other players mentioned above?

I don’t think there’s any cap magic that would allow you to pay Parsons $41 million a year-plus and still afford Smith, Bland, and Pickens.

But if you were to tag and/or trade Parsons next year? It might then be manageable.

My thinking is that Diggs is in his last season in Dallas anyway, and his numbers could be replaced with a new deal for Bland.

So I’m wondering, are the Cowboys playing this one out and keeping their options open? Or is this just yet another example of the Joneses poor management?

Stash I agree 100% with this. I will go out even further on this limb.

While Parsons is an outstanding talent as his first four years have shown, having him so far has resulted in 1 wild card win in 4 seasons. That’s not all on him of course but most of his playoff game performances have been underwhelming. He has tended to fade as the season progresses.

If we could get at least an extra first round pick and maybe a couple of 2nd rounders, it could be a major rebuilding move.

So yeah, trading him at the height of his value has lots of merit. But having said that, here are some problems doing that in the next 6-12 months:

• The rest of the league can easily see the Cowboys are hedging paying Parsons what the market is dictating. Which can reduce what teams may be willing to pay back in a trade.
• The best time to trade him was in the spring before the draft.
• There are risks with trading your best defender of course. Especially on a D that doesn’t have a long list of playmakers.

But if losing Parsons means we can immediately lock Tyler Smith up for a long time like we did Tyron Smith AND get some additional high impact draft capital I would strongly consider it.

But IMO it will never happen.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

You could categorize this as mismanagement but I think Mr. Jones lets ego, image, and headline stealing play too big a part.

Stick w/ me on this a sec.

If you’ve seen ‘A Few Good Men’ you’ll recall at the end of the movie Tom Cruises character is railing away at Jack Nicholson’s character in an attempt to get him to admit to an order that he gave costing a soldier his life. Nicholson easily could have denied this, but his arrogance and need to put his dominance on display overwhelmed proper decision making and he got himself pinched.

When negotiating high profile players, this is Jerry playing the equivalent to Nicholson’s character. His way of saying, “You want me on that wall…you need me on that wall”. Jerry WANTS the recognition of being the man that paid the highest salary to keep players of Parson’s ilk in Dallas. Dumb business decision-making be damned! Jerry’s saying, “look at what I can do that no one else could or would” regardless of what it cost in the long run.

Henceforth, moving forward, I’m considering just referring to Jerry Jones as Colonel ( why isn’t there an “r” in this word) Jessup.

Exactly. When Jerry hands out these massive contracts to guys he drafted he views it as confirmation of what a great personnel guy he is. Especially when it's a guy like Dak where in his delusional mind he thinks he outsmarted everyone.

 

[Whyjerry]

I also wonder if his 3 straight years of folding in December concerns anyone? I just don’t see him holding up as a full time DE. He is not built for that.

Also why was he just made a DE? How did that just magically happen? Why didn’t they get creative with him? Move him around. A little MLB? The guy is an elite talent. Why force him to take on OTs every snap? I don’t see him holding up.

 

[jazzcat22]

It is not just Jerry. It I the entire NFL.
Other teams have the same issues.

It is just exploited more because it is Jerry and the Cowboys. Yes, the cap has been mismanaged here, or has it. Because of a few bad contracts they will not move on from, and should not have made in the 1st placed. Those stand out above all others.

 

[Kwyn]

Players like Parsons are so rare that the idea of just backfilling them is a long shot, at best, regardless of the haul they bring.

We criminally underrate Parsons on this board, finding fault with everything possible and giving him credit for next to nothing.

All his sacks are meaningless.
All his mistakes are crucial game costing errors
His podcast angers a lot of “traditional” fans.

We simply don’t reflect the sentiment of fans of other teams, let alone the professionals in the industry.

The idea that a rookie second round pick, after three training camp practices without pads gives the team enough comfort to just start shopping Micah to save money that the team will be unlikely to use in anything resembling a fair return on dollars spent seems silly.

When you catch lightning in a bottle, releasing it, only to attempt to run through a field trying to catch a firefly seems like an incredibly poor strategy.

But, many on the board are experts at playing GM, Head Coach, Chief Scout and position coach for the every group on the field. It just creates a lot of noise.

 

[Ranching]

First off, I’d like to state that this thread is not an attempt to defend the way the Cowboys handle their big contracts. I do not agree with how the Joneses have done business lately.

But in looking at the Parsons deal and potential deals for Tyler Smith, Daron Bland, and possibly George Pickens it got me wondering.

Micah Parsons is undeniably a great player and a top pass rusher, but he also plays at arguably the Cowboys most well-stocked position.

Could - the key word here - could the Cowboys live without him in the future?

If EZE is what early reviews suggest. If Sam Williams shows he’s back and a force to be reckoned with.

Could the Cowboys live without Parsons?

Would the team be better off with draft picks and cap space to retain the other players mentioned above?

I don’t think there’s any cap magic that would allow you to pay Parsons $41 million a year-plus and still afford Smith, Bland, and Pickens.

But if you were to tag and/or trade Parsons next year? It might then be manageable.

My thinking is that Diggs is in his last season in Dallas anyway, and his numbers could be replaced with a new deal for Bland.

So I’m wondering, are the Cowboys playing this one out and keeping their options open? Or is this just yet another example of the Joneses poor management?

God forbid, you defend the Cowboys.....trade, cut, tag....I don't care how they handle it, wouldn't make a difference, anyway...just PLAY FOOTBALL!!!