Cowboys brass paints bleak picture regarding future of Big Three

Meeting with reporters on Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys front-office brass, including owner Jerry Jones, painted a bleak picture regarding the future of stars Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons in Arlington.

On the topic of the team's star quarterback, Jones sounded almost defeated.

"In my life, there have been a lot of things I wanted but I couldn't get because I couldn't afford it," Jones said via the Cowboys . "Have I learned with that in 80 something years? I have. And life does go on."

That's an ominous response, to say the least, but paired with Prescott saying earlier in the day that leaving the Cowboys might become his " reality " despite his desire to stay, the situation seems even more dire.

It gets worse.

Stephen Jones, the team's COO, cried poor, claiming it wasn't "easy" to lock up the team's best three players. He seemed to lament the fact that both Lamb and Parsons are seeking to be the highest-paid non-QBs in the NFL while comparing the Cowboys' situation to the Minnesota Vikings, who recently inked wideout Justin Jefferson to a historic $140 million extension .

"They're not paying a quarterback. They're not paying anyone on their roster at this point," Jones said. "So it's easier for them to stretch a little more."

In addition, Papa Jones said extensions for Prescott and company could account for "70%" of the team's payroll. While this isn't remotely true, it could be the first of many excuses from the Cowboys' side should one or all slip through their fingers.

If Lamb and Parsons get the paydays they seek, they would each average roughly $35 million annually. In addition to what a Prescott contract might look like, hovering over $50 million a season, the three could take up nearly half of the Cowboys' cap space ($120 million), given that the 2024 maximum is $255 million.

Both owner and COO seemed perplexed by the idea that the Cowboys might have to pay their top players top money. It's either that or they're playing dumb, which might be the company line.

Prescott and Lamb are potentially eligible to hit the free-agent market next offseason, with Parsons following in 2026. Thus, the Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves for the mess that lies before them.

Had Dallas struck earlier and attempted to lock up one — if not all three — before this point, the franchise wouldn't have to worry so much about handing out such lucrative contracts. Now, its tardiness will likely force it to set the market at three different positions or risk losing its stars.