Cowboys' Stephen Jones: Upcoming contracts 'a challenge'

The Dallas Cowboys will need to write some big checks to hang on to quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons. And Stephen Jones, the team's chief operating officer and co-owner, said the Cowboys are crunching the numbers to try to make it work. "You know when you're talking about CeeDee and Dak and you know somebody like a Micah coming up," Jones told The Athletic's "Scoop City" podcast. "I mean you're talking about two players that aren't quarterbacks that feel like they ought to be a little bit like (the Vikings' Justin) Jefferson, the top-paid non quarterbacks in the league. "And then of course you have Dak. Obviously, his resume speaks for itself. You know, he was second in MVP voting last year. You know, he's just had an extraordinary career here in Dallas. And, you know, those things just take time when you're talking about the amount of money involved. And of course, we're trying to a little bit play Houdini in how to keep all these guys around Dak and keep these players we were fortunate enough to draft." Jones acknowledged the financial burden ahead for the Cowboys when it comes to paying Lamb and Parsons -- first-team All-Pro selections in 2023 -- and their veteran quarterback, especially since Jefferson reset the market for non-quarterbacks. Last month, the Vikings signed Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million extension that gave him the highest annual average salary outside the QB position in NFL history. "When you start stacking them up like that, you know, it's a challenge," Jones said of potential deals for Prescott, Lamb and Parsons. "It's not that it's not doable, but you certainly got to have some give and take if you want to do that. I know the Vikings there with Jefferson when they made that inordinate deal at the receiver spot. You know, they don't have one player on their team other than Jefferson making over $20 million. "And, of course, we've got a big one in Dak. And we got (Trevon) Diggs right there. And then you got Zack Martin and (DeMarcus Lawrence). And so we got a lot of guys making, you know, quite a bit of money. And you know that's no excuse. We think we can get this done, know we can get it done. But it just takes time." Prescott, 30, is entering the final season of a four-year, $160 million contract extension and will cost the Cowboys $55.5 million in salary cap this season. Lamb, 25, will be playing under a $17.99 million fifth-year option in 2024. Parsons, 25, has one year left on his four-year, $17.1 million rookie deal, and the Cowboys exercised his $21.3 million option for 2025, making him eligible for an extension. "We are optimistic that we can get these guys done," Jones told the podcast. "I know Dak, our goal is to get him done. And he knows that. We're having conversations and with his agent, with Dak personally, both Jerry (Jones) and myself. He knows our goal is to keep him here. He also understands the challenges." --Field Level Media