CFZ What I Would Do with the Major Players With Contract Decisions Ahead

[VaqueroTD]

The Cowboys have a very nice problem on the horizon. Because of some good and perhaps even lucky drafting the last few years, there are several key players with rookie deals ending who will soon be due large second contract paydays. The biggest as of now are Cedee Lamb, Travon Diggs, and later Micah Parsons. To a lesser degree, there’s also Tyler Biadaz.

The question is, should we- can we- keep everyone at market value?

Of those 4, clearly Micah Parsons is the most valuable and no brainer when it comes to retaining. He undoubtedly has the most impact and importance to this team. He’s a potential HOF talent if he can stay healthy so as far as I can see, he’s an absolute must to resign. Diggs and Lamb are important, but not in the same category as Parsons. IMO, Biadaz is a good starter but replaceable.

So here’s how I rank these guys with contract decisions looming:

1. Micah Parsons- no question will be resigned. In fact, I predict he will become the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. This is a no-brainer and it’s just a matter of when and for how much. Parsons should be a Cowboy for life.
2. Cedee Lamb- after Parsons, Lamb is probably the next most likely to be resigned. PFF has him as the 8th best WR in the NFL. The Cowboys have struggled the last few years retaining WR talent and it has cost the team dearly on the field. I think Lamb will get resigned at WR market value which won’t be cheap. He will garner somewhere around $25-30 million a year. That’s market value. And they WILL pay it IMO.
3. Travon Diggs- PFF has Diggs ranked 8th in its Cornerback rankings going into 2023. As the passing game has become more central to NFL offenses, the market for corners has risen accordingly. Is Diggs going to be worth $21 mil a year? In fact, he may garner closer to $25 million per season. If I was going to hedge on a guy coming up for a payday, I might consider trading Diggs. I love his ball hawking skills but you can’t keep everyone.
4. Tyler Biadaz- this will be an easier decision in my book. TB has been a decent starter for this team and has improved every year. But with the paydays garnered by Parsons, Lamb and perhaps Diggs, keeping a C at market value would be prohibitive IMO. We can acquire a decent, perhaps even better C in the draft.

So IMO, Parsons and Lamb are locks to be resigned. Diggs is probable but I would consider a trade while his value is this high. If Bland continues to develop, losing Diggs for a trade that acquires additional draft assets may be a good move. Tyler Biadaz would not warrant a second contract IMO.

What do you think? Would you consider trading Diggs?

I don’t know if I would feel comfortable depending on a draft pick to replace Biadasz. Center is one of those deceptively important positions if you screw up. For sure, you can find some gems second round and later, but also hurt yourself more than other positions if you bet on the wrong horse. I would feel better with a cheaper insurance veteran. Remember when we had this line of thought with Step? We lucked out with Donaldson, but then it was a rough until we lo and behold, got Step again. Although Jerry called more of the shots in the draft back then.

Agree with everyone that Diggs is the one big contract most likely to bite you in the butt. Wait and see this upcoming season.

 

[5Stars]

The Cowboys have a very nice problem on the horizon. Because of some good and perhaps even lucky drafting the last few years, there are several key players with rookie deals ending who will soon be due large second contract paydays. The biggest as of now are Cedee Lamb, Travon Diggs, and later Micah Parsons. To a lesser degree, there’s also Tyler Biadaz.

The question is, should we- can we- keep everyone at market value?

Of those 4, clearly Micah Parsons is the most valuable and no brainer when it comes to retaining. He undoubtedly has the most impact and importance to this team. He’s a potential HOF talent if he can stay healthy so as far as I can see, he’s an absolute must to resign. Diggs and Lamb are important, but not in the same category as Parsons. IMO, Biadaz is a good starter but replaceable.

So here’s how I rank these guys with contract decisions looming:

1. Micah Parsons- no question will be resigned. In fact, I predict he will become the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. This is a no-brainer and it’s just a matter of when and for how much. Parsons should be a Cowboy for life.
2. Cedee Lamb- after Parsons, Lamb is probably the next most likely to be resigned. PFF has him as the 8th best WR in the NFL. The Cowboys have struggled the last few years retaining WR talent and it has cost the team dearly on the field. I think Lamb will get resigned at WR market value which won’t be cheap. He will garner somewhere around $25-30 million a year. That’s market value. And they WILL pay it IMO.
3. Travon Diggs- PFF has Diggs ranked 8th in its Cornerback rankings going into 2023. As the passing game has become more central to NFL offenses, the market for corners has risen accordingly. Is Diggs going to be worth $21 mil a year? In fact, he may garner closer to $25 million per season. If I was going to hedge on a guy coming up for a payday, I might consider trading Diggs. I love his ball hawking skills but you can’t keep everyone.
4. Tyler Biadaz- this will be an easier decision in my book. TB has been a decent starter for this team and has improved every year. But with the paydays garnered by Parsons, Lamb and perhaps Diggs, keeping a C at market value would be prohibitive IMO. We can acquire a decent, perhaps even better C in the draft.

So IMO, Parsons and Lamb are locks to be resigned. Diggs is probable but I would consider a trade while his value is this high. If Bland continues to develop, losing Diggs for a trade that acquires additional draft assets may be a good move. Tyler Biadaz would not warrant a second contract IMO.

What do you think? Would you consider trading Diggs?

Get rid of Dak and his salary. Yeah, yeah, yeah, then what do we do at QB. Draft one in the first round or two and let the defense win a SB for him. I'm sure there are a QB or three that can do what Dak has done, and if they can't, well, Dak can't either.

Don't trade any of the defensive players, we need defense to win a SB.

 

[CCBoy]

Surely you’re not saying Travon Diggs is the Cowboys best player? I’m not talking about trading Micah Parsons who IS this team’s best player hands down. In my book he’s the ONLY untouchable on this roster. Are you saying Diggs is untouchable?

Two firsts aren't adequate for the confusion and non plugin function for just a first year quarterback. All would fall back upon the defense and that would not be advancing in the interim as well. No next year first or second for that group.

 

[Motorola]

What winners do this though? What winners trade their best players for draft picks? Chiefs did it with Tyreke Hill....can't really think of who else does this.

When you have a QB like KC has - it is easier to part ways with a top tier WR.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Surely you’re not saying Travon Diggs is the Cowboys best player? I’m not talking about trading Micah Parsons who IS this team’s best player hands down. In my book he’s the ONLY untouchable on this roster. Are you saying Diggs is untouchable?

I don't recall saying anyone is untouchable. I feel Micah is even touchable I mean if someone offered 4 1st rounders for Micah i'd trade him.

That's ultimately what trades are for me. If I trade a asset do I get better? Or do I have the potential to get better?

If i'm a contender trying to win NOW a 1st round pick for Diggs is nothing to me. IF someone offered 2 1st rounders for him then i'd have to think about it because while I Do take a hit this year I have a chance to get better in the near future.

So to answer your question no, I don't consider him untouchable. But ultimately the Cowboys are a contender and I want all my best players ready to go to battle.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

When you have a QB like KC has - it is easier to part ways with a top tier WR.

Understood. I acknowledged that the Chiefs did do this and it did not hurt them. THeir offense did take a hit but ultimately they won a ring so it didn't matter.

 

[CouchCoach]

What I would do is make the decision about my QB before I did anything else.

I would not extend him this season but would have him on a prove it year this season. They're not going to save much money by waiting to see how he does in 23.

If I decided to do something like go for Williams in this draft, I would need some chips to move up and would have to consider 2024 a rebuild season and one in which to evaluate our new QB to see if we might have the guy.

 

[CowboyRoy]

If Biadaz would sign a deal for around $4 million, I'd keep him. But that is below his market value, so I would not expect any such luck to come our way. I would not like to lose him: as you noted, he has gotten better each year. I just don't know if his ceiling is high enough to justify $8+ mill/year. If I had a looking glass and it told me that he'd become the next Fredbeard or Kelce, sure, I'd keep him. Continuity on the o-line is important.

Agree on the other three. Diggs at $25 mill/year, don't think so, although another Dak restructure could let us keep all three.

Pro bowl center for 4 million? Good luck with that one.

 

[Aven8]

It's going to be a terrible contract.

It is but those Int’s don’t grow on trees. We’ve wanted a ball hawk for decades and finally got one.

 

[Flamma]

The Cowboys have a very nice problem on the horizon. Because of some good and perhaps even lucky drafting the last few years, there are several key players with rookie deals ending who will soon be due large second contract paydays. The biggest as of now are Cedee Lamb, Travon Diggs, and later Micah Parsons. To a lesser degree, there’s also Tyler Biadaz.

The question is, should we- can we- keep everyone at market value?

Of those 4, clearly Micah Parsons is the most valuable and no brainer when it comes to retaining. He undoubtedly has the most impact and importance to this team. He’s a potential HOF talent if he can stay healthy so as far as I can see, he’s an absolute must to resign. Diggs and Lamb are important, but not in the same category as Parsons. IMO, Biadaz is a good starter but replaceable.

So here’s how I rank these guys with contract decisions looming:

1. Micah Parsons- no question will be resigned. In fact, I predict he will become the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. This is a no-brainer and it’s just a matter of when and for how much. Parsons should be a Cowboy for life.
2. Cedee Lamb- after Parsons, Lamb is probably the next most likely to be resigned. PFF has him as the 8th best WR in the NFL. The Cowboys have struggled the last few years retaining WR talent and it has cost the team dearly on the field. I think Lamb will get resigned at WR market value which won’t be cheap. He will garner somewhere around $25-30 million a year. That’s market value. And they WILL pay it IMO.
3. Travon Diggs- PFF has Diggs ranked 8th in its Cornerback rankings going into 2023. As the passing game has become more central to NFL offenses, the market for corners has risen accordingly. Is Diggs going to be worth $21 mil a year? In fact, he may garner closer to $25 million per season. If I was going to hedge on a guy coming up for a payday, I might consider trading Diggs. I love his ball hawking skills but you can’t keep everyone.
4. Tyler Biadaz- this will be an easier decision in my book. TB has been a decent starter for this team and has improved every year. But with the paydays garnered by Parsons, Lamb and perhaps Diggs, keeping a C at market value would be prohibitive IMO. We can acquire a decent, perhaps even better C in the draft.

So IMO, Parsons and Lamb are locks to be resigned. Diggs is probable but I would consider a trade while his value is this high. If Bland continues to develop, losing Diggs for a trade that acquires additional draft assets may be a good move. Tyler Biadaz would not warrant a second contract IMO.

What do you think? Would you consider trading Diggs?

If I had to trade 1, I'd trade Lamb. He's good, I just don't think he's worth 25M a year.

 

[AsthmaField]

How about the Patriots on numerous occasions trading starters before they hit a big pay day?
-Richard Seymour
-Lawyer Malloy
-Randy Moss

All were ALL PRO starters and all were traded. Each time the pats won a SB later.

*Belichick traded Seymour because his contract was going to come up at the same time as Vince Willfork’s (as well as Brady’s) and he wasn’t going to re-sign Seymour. Word was that Belichick was going to keep Seymour for that last year and then just take the supplemental draft pick for it. That is until a poor Oakland team offered their first round pick for Seymour. A possible top 10 pick for a 34 DE who is going to be in his last year in New England no matter what convinced Bill to make the trade and lose Seymour a year early.

It certainly wasn’t that Belichick saw Seymour was a good player and just decided to trade him. He was losing him one way or the other. Dallas can certainly re-sign Diggs.

*Lawyer Milloy was not traded. He was cut. Bill had picked up Rodney Harrison, who he knew was a better player than Milloy. He offered Milloy to take a big pay cut, who refused to do so and was unceremoniously released.

That obviously isn’t at all like what we are talking about with Diggs.

*Randy Moss was done when New England traded him. He wasn’t at all the same player that tore up the league for all of those years. Bill traded a washed up Moss and a 7th round pick to the Vikings for their third round pick. Randy promptly got cut after 4 games with Minnesota, tried but failed to catch on with Tennessee, and then retired.

Moss had also caused a ruckus in Belichick’s locker room the week before the trade. I’m sure that played into Bill’s decision to trade him before the trade deadline.

Again, this is nothing like trading a young, talented corner who hasn’t really even reached his prime.

 

[AsthmaField]

I was speaking more so recently. Current winners don't do this. Even then teams didn't do it as much other than the Pats. It worked for them at the time. And like I said earlier Chiefs did it with Tyreke and it didn't hurt them. But it for sure hurt the Packers getting rid of Davante.

I agree. It certainly is a pretty rare occurrence. It is rare for good reason, too.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

I agree. It certainly is a pretty rare occurrence. It is rare for good reason, too.

Exactly. These guys keep suggesting trade your best players......as if trading them means you will get equal return or better. That is not how trades work lol. Rams traded for Ramsey because they wanted to upgrade their team. That's what trades are for. To upgrade your team. Brandon Cooks for a 6th rounder? Upgrade. Gilmore for a 5th? Upgrade. Trading Diggs for a 1st rounder is a downgrade for your team.

 

[Bobhaze]

I agree. It certainly is a pretty rare occurrence. It is rare for good reason, too.

Exactly. These guys keep suggesting trade your best players......as if trading them means you will get equal return or better. That is not how trades work lol. Rams traded for Ramsey because they wanted to upgrade their team. That's what trades are for. To upgrade your team. Brandon Cooks for a 6th rounder? Upgrade. Gilmore for a 5th? Upgrade. Trading Diggs for a 1st rounder is a downgrade for your team.

Well guys, my suggestion originally was to consider trading Diggs if the return was right. I’m of the opinion that good GMs are always open to trades IF they can improve your team. If you can’t get what would improve your team’s strengths I wouldn’t do it.

Saying “these guys keep suggesting trading your best players”…not sure who that is speaking of but that is inaccurate of me. I do believe there’s only one guy on this roster who I would consider untouchable and that’s Parsons…and even he could be had for the right price. Being open to trading a good player is smart if it makes you better. Lots of good teams do it. I listed some examples earlier. Not being open to trade a good player on your team is just “fan thinking“ IMO.

 

[Bobhaze]

What I would do is make the decision about my QB before I did anything else.

I would not extend him this season but would have him on a prove it year this season. They're not going to save much money by waiting to see how he does in 23.

If I decided to do something like go for Williams in this draft, I would need some chips to move up and would have to consider 2024 a rebuild season and one in which to evaluate our new QB to see if we might have the guy.

That’s an intriguing idea. I just don’t think Jerry would ever allow for a “rebuilding” year.

 

[kskboys]

The time to make a trade is when a player has maximum value. I would definitely look at what kind of trade value Diggs could bring. If he could get us some good draft picks or even a player with value at another position I would do it.

I've been thinking along the same lines.

I like Diggs, don't love him. IMO, he's a bit overrated due to his high INT numbers in 21. Had 3 last year.

 

[kskboys]

Well guys, my suggestion originally was to consider trading Diggs if the return was right. I’m of the opinion that good GMs are always open to trades IF they can improve your team. If you can’t get what would improve your team’s strengths I wouldn’t do it.

Saying “these guys keep suggesting trading your best players”…not sure who that is speaking of but that is inaccurate of me. I do believe there’s only one guy on this roster who I would consider untouchable and that’s Parsons…and even he could be had for the right price. Being open to trading a good player is smart if it makes you better. Lots of good teams do it. I listed some examples earlier. Not being open to trade a good player on your team is just “fan thinking“ IMO.

Well said.

 

[kskboys]

I tend to agree that the WR market is insane. I think Miami is paying Tyreek Hill close to $30 mil a season which is crazy. The chiefs made the decision to part ways with Hill and won a SB anyway.

The problem for the Cowboys is until they acquired Brandin Cooks this team was very light on overall WR talent. In 2018 and 2022 the team foolishly rolled the dice on just having mostly JAGs at WR and it showed. I think that experience will make them think twice about letting Lamb go.

Once again, goes back to poor player evaluation, especially in the draft. We emphasize the wrong traits.

 

[VaqueroTD]

Well guys, my suggestion originally was to consider trading Diggs if the return was right. I’m of the opinion that good GMs are always open to trades IF they can improve your team. If you can’t get what would improve your team’s strengths I wouldn’t do it.

Saying “these guys keep suggesting trading your best players”…not sure who that is speaking of but that is inaccurate of me. I do believe there’s only one guy on this roster who I would consider untouchable and that’s Parsons. Being open to trading a good player is smart if it makes you better. Lots of good teams do it. I listed some examples earlier. Not being open to trade a good player on your team is just “fan thinking“ IMO.

Jalen Ramsey, Champ Bailey, Pick a Patriot… you’re right, it does feel like a lot of teams have opted for capitalizing on young or in their prime corners and what they can get back. If we have good depth at corner come re-signing time, why not see the options out there?

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Well guys, my suggestion originally was to consider trading Diggs if the return was right. I’m of the opinion that good GMs are always open to trades IF they can improve your team. If you can’t get what would improve your team’s strengths I wouldn’t do it.

Saying “thesguys keep suggesting trading your best players”…not sure who that is speaking of but that is inaccurate of me. I do believe there’s only one guy on this roster who I would consider untouchable and that’s Parsons…and even he could be had for the right price. Being open to trading a good player is smart if it makes you better. Lots of good teams do it. I listed some examples earlier. Not being open to trade a good player on your team is just “fan thinking“ IMO.

I’m just not understanding It. I mean I don’t disagree that if the right trade comes around you think about it. I just don’t see how it improves your team.

How does a first rounder next year help us this if we trade Diggs for one?