Micah Parsons set a tone last week after the Cowboys pulled off an improbable win over the Commanders in Washington, one in which Washington had a 70% chance of winning, according to ESPN, in the fourth quarter before a wild swing of events that yielded an 86-yard touchdown pass, a missed extra point and an onside kick returned for a touchdown.
After the game, Parsons’ message was clear. He’s not giving up on the season.
“I’m not done yet. I don’t plan on tanking,” Parsons said, via The Athletic, postgame on Sunday. “If the higher-ups are looking for a draft pick, I hope that’s ruined, because we got a lot of football left to play. As long as I’m a part of this team, we’re always going to fight.”
That is probably the right mindset for a star player, especially a leader in the locker room like Parsons. But the problem is … the Cowboys really could use a good 2025 draft pick, and if the team is out of the playoff picture, perhaps that should be the focus.
That’s certainly what the fans want.
Cowboys Fans Want a High Draft Pick
That comes according to SB Nation’s Blogging the Boys site, which conducted an online poll of Cowboys fans to get a sense of how they feel about Dallas’ chances, and how the team should approach the rest of the year.
“Is it even worth it for them to go on some kind of winning streak at this point in the season? Or is tanking the year and going for a high draft pick the best option? We wanted to know that answer, so we asked the fans,” the site noted.
The answer was unambiguous. In all, 67% of Cowboys fans want Jerry Jones and the team to tank out the rest of the season and land a Top 10 pick.
As things stand, the Cowboys are in line for the No. 11 pick in the 2025 draft. If they beat the Giants on Thursday (and they are favored to do so) they will move to 5-7, and probably drop into the teens.
As for the “higher ups” in the organization, Jones backed up Parsons’ statement on tanking and said he has no interest in intentional losing.
“That has not come across anybody’s mind in this organization,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan. “Somebody’s gonna say … ‘You need to be playing for a higher draft pick, Jones.’ I get it. I get all of it. It’s critical for us to get out here and compete. Those (draft picks) will be there for us – the ones we want – when we get there in the draft …”
“Micah gets criticized for some of the things that he says. The way that was articulated was strong. It was a succinct statement. It’s just the way that it is.”
