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.
The team has lost several coaches including defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who took several assistants with him to the Cowboys’ rival, Washington, when he accepted the head coaching job there.
While there are clearly significant moves to be made in the NFL Draft if Dallas is going to compete for a Super Bowl in 2024, one insider believes the Cowboys brass is on the cusp of inking a significant contract extension with one of their top stars.
Yet we are in the middle of April and nothing has been done to secure the future of Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons. As of now, Lamb appears to be holding out until he lands a new contract.
Stephen Jones And Dallas Cowboys Brass Breaks Silence On Contract Extensions For Star Players
The lack of offseason activity has prompted speculation and criticism, but Cowboys’ executive vice president Stephen Jones is finally answering those comments.
On April 16, Jones spoke on 105.3 The Fan about the offseason. While he has nothing concrete to update, he did claim that the reason for a lack of activity is so the Cowboys have a “realistic chance” at bringing back Lamb, QB Dak Prescott and LB Micah Parsons.
“It doesn’t mean it happens overnight,” Jones said. “But when you’re wanting to sign players like Dak (Prescott) and Micah (Parsons) and CeeDee (Lamb), then you have to hold money back if you want to have a realistic chance of signing those guys.”
Jones does have a point, massive contract extensions aren’t simple. However, the Dallas Cowboys created the situation they’re in with all of their prior salary cap decisions so they can only blame themselves for their inability to make moves or extend important players.
Earlier in the offseason, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated that the team was “all-in” on winning this season. Then, free agency began and Dallas proceeded to sign just one player in the first month of the window.
But Stephen Jones claims that the idea of “all-in” is subjective. Further, he states that the Dallas Cowboys will have spent the maximum amount of money possible by the 2024 regular season.
“Everybody has their own definition of what that means, but I’ve never not known us to be all in, nor have I known anyone we compete against not to be all in,” Jones said. “We spend max, max money year in and year out,” Jones said. “All 32 can only spend the same amount of money over a five-year stretch. When we’re all said and done, we max out our salary cap every year. We will have done that. What comes with having a good roster, which we do, we’re also looking towards signing our own guys.”
If Dallas is going to make a run at a Super Bowl in 2024, it better find a way to lock down its most important players ASAP.