Dallas Cowboys fans have spent most of the offseason worrying that Jerry Jones won't pay Micah Parsons and that the defense will soon lose one of the NFL's most dominant pass rushers. But now the Cowboys have an even bigger problem on Jones' desk after the Sauce Gardner contract with the New York Jets. Now, Dallas faces an increasingly likely reality in which they almost certainly lose one of Parsons or star cornerback DaRon Bland.
Gardner, of course, signed a four-year, $120.4 million extension with the Jets on Tuesday, an average annual value of $30.1 million per season. And while that has no direct effect on Parsons' deal, one that is likely going to rival Myles Garrett's AAV of $40 million whether with the Cowboys or another team, it does have an immense impact on what could happen with Bland, who is quietly entering the final year of his rookie contract in Dallas.
Though Gardner was obviously a much higher draft pick than Bland, a first-round pick compared to a fifth-rounder, respectively, both have firmly established themselves as top cornerbacks in the NFL. In fact, they've been right on track with one another over the past two seasons. Bland was the second-highest graded cornerback by PFF ($) in 2023, while Gardner was right behind him in third. That continued last season, even with a dip in performance from both, with Gardner at 32 and Bland at 33 in PFF's grading.
That ultimately means that Bland is well in his right to look the Jones family in the eye and ask for the Gardner contract in any extension talks. But the simplest truth you can mine from the matter is that it's going to be nearly impossible for the Cowboys to keep both Parsons and Bland on the books at their market values.
Cowboys almost guaranteed to lose one of Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland
Dallas is currently set to enter next offseason with a little more than $20 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. For those keeping track at home, that's not enough money to accommodate a new deal for either Parsons or Bland. Of course, that can be maneuvered around to create more space in order to find more flexibility.
Restructuring the contracts of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb again could add $49 million in savings, per Over the Cap, but there's no guarantee the Cowboys would want to do that after already having worked int that way in the 2025 offseason. They could add $12 million in space restructuring Osa Odighizuwa's new deal. There's also the possibility of cutting or trading players like Terence Steele to save $14 million as a post-June 1 designation or Malik Hooker at any time to save $7 million.
Again, though, that's a lot of work to get to a number that would even be close to being able to take on the money allotted to new contracts for both Parsons and Bland. Furthermore, cutting someone like Steele (or Trevon Diggs, who could net $15.5 million in savings as a post-June 1) could also be construed as actively making the roster worse in order to find the money to pay these two stars.
On top of that, star guard Tyler Smith is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract and, while his fifth-year option has already been picked up, the Cowboys would also love to sign him to an extension as well. That only further complicates the matter.
What's clear, though, is that the Cowboys were already facing tough decisions, and those decisions just got even more difficult to make. But with the way the money is shaking out, it's looking far more likely that Dallas is going to lose at least one star before the 2026 season from the defense. And it'll be fascinating to see how the Jones family ultimately navigates these waters — and which player they eventually choose to prioritize.