After a couple of hot and heavy weeks of free agency madness, the NFL has settled down again for a bit before things ramp up again for the draft late next month. The Cowboys are in the news with plenty of talk surrounding Micah Parsons’ contract extension. The Cowboys still need a capable backup for Dak Prescott and they could be interested in a player on an AFC roster to fill that void. Plus, another defensive star could be on the verge of emerging for the Cowboys. We’ll get into all of that and much more.
Micah Parsons contract talks rolling along
Contract talks between Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and the team look to be rolling along fairly smoothly. There has been talk of a potential hometown discount but also the discussion of Parsons becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Right now, it doesn’t feel like a deal won’t get done it’s just a matter of when.
“I just played these last couple years on $2 (million) and $3 million,” Parsons said. “I think if I had $40 million, I’d be the happiest man alive. You go from playing for the league rookie minimum and get that big of a jump, I think anybody would be happy.”
The two-time All-Pro played on a base contract of just under $3 million in 2024 and is due to make a little over $24 million on the fifth and final year of his rookie deal next season. While both sides are working to get an extension in place before the season starts, it may very well come down to the wire once again dealing with the Jones family.
We just saw this playout last offseason with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. The latter’s deal wasn’t finalized until the opening Sunday of the season. Surely, they’d want to avoid a repeat but we are talking about Jerry Jones.
Cowboys have eye on a backup QB
Dallas let both of last year’s backups walk away this offseason but it looks like they may have found their guy to fill those shoes. The rumor is floating around that the Cowboys might be interested in New England backup, Joe Milton. A sixth-round pick last year, Milton got very little playing time last season but made the most of it, completing almost 76 percent of his passes in the one game he appeared in.
Milton was 22 of 29 for 241 yards and a touchdown in the season finale against Buffalo. While that isn’t a large sample size it may have been enough to entice the Cowboys. Standing 6’5” and nearly 250 pounds, Milton does possess the prototypical NFL size teams traditionally look for in a QB.
Maybe Dallas thinks they’ll have better luck with a late-round pick, as they have with Dak Prescott. He was a fourth-round pick in 2016. Then there was Tony Romo who went undrafted and became a star. After whiffing on the trade for Trey Lance who was the third overall pick, the Cowboys may have given up on high picks at the position. If the Cowboys are indeed interested in Milton, it would be via trade and luckily wouldn’t cost too much to make happen.
The next Cowboys star LB in waiting: Marist Liufau
Micah Parsons is the most recent Cowboys linebacker to make a big name for himself around the league and there could be another on his way. Second-year LB Marist Liufau could be the next big thing in Big D according to Patrik “No C” Walker of DallasCowboys.com.
Liufau was drafted by the Cowboys in the third-round last year with the 87th overall pick. He appeared in all 17 games, starting nine and had 50 total tackles (30 solo), 4 tackles for loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, 3 passes defensed and a forced fumble. Those aren’t Pro Bowl numbers but aren’t shabby for a mid-round rookie who wasn’t a day-one starter.
However, with a new coaching staff in place, Liufau should get every opportunity to win a starting spot on the Cowboys defensive second level this summer. Dallas added LBs Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn this offseason who will also compete with Liufau for playing time. It feels like most people expect Life to win out but you anything could happen. Although watching him last season, he has the look of a future solid starter at the least if not a star.