It was clear before the Dallas Cowboys were ravaged by injuries last season that they weren't close to contending for a Super Bowl. They endured a mass exodus in free agency and parlayed that into spending the least money of any team in football.
Jerry and Stephen Jones will point to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb's extensions as why they pinched pennies, but that is not the case. They simply don't want to spend. It has been that way for a long time now.
The Cowboys are the most valuable franchise in professional sports and yet they operate like a small-market team.
Beyond that, though, is that Dallas is not far away from contention. This team won 12 games in three consecutive seasons. Even the slightest bit of aggression by the front office would make a world of difference. The Eagles are living proof of that after their spending spree last offseason. It catapulted them into a powerhouse and the eventual Super Bowl champions.
After having to watch the hated Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy, Micah Parsons is calling on the Joneses to table their frugal ways.
Micah Parsons calls on Cowboys to be more aggressive in free agency after Eagles' Super Bowl victory
“The talent is there. We’ve jus got to be aggressive the same way [other teams] did,” Parsons said, per Nick Harris of theFort Worth Star-Telegram. “I don’t want to sit back and watch other teams build and build and us stay the same. Definitely some call to action. I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact. I want to see us bring back our own players. That’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”
Parsons is tired of watching other teams push the envelope in first wave of free agency while the Cowboys wait for the second, third, and fourth waves to open up their checkbook.
Their big "splash," if you will, last offseason was linebacker Eric Kendricks. If you remember, though Kendricks had a verbal agreement with the 49ers. It look a last-ditch effort by Dallas and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to convince Kendricks to spurn San Francisco.
Kendricks was a solid signing by all accounts, but his contract was worth $3 million and just $2.5 million in fully guaranteed money.
In addition to Kendricks, the Cowboys re-signed Jourdan Lewis, which was admittedly great business. They also brought back running back Rico Dowdle, backup offensive lineman Chuma Edoga, special teams ace C.J. Goodwin, and long-snapperTrent Sieg. And who can forget the Ezekiel Elliott reunion right after Dallas didn't draft a running back?
When you couple that with the departures of Dorance Armstrong, Tony Pollard, Dante Fowler, Stephon Gilmore and Tyler Biadasz, it is no wonder that 2024 was one of the most unenjoyable Cowboys seasons in recent memory.
It has been 13 years since Dallas splurged on an external free agent. Back in 2012, they inked cornerback Brandon Carr to a five-year, $50.1 million on the first day of the frenzy.
Parsons is not saying the Cowboys have to spend $100 million, but he understands that spectating from the sidelines in the initial wave while Dallas' biggest rivals are bringing in marquee talent left and right is not conducive to winning at the highest level.
If nothing else, this proves that Parsons is the perfect franchise player. He's outstanding on the field and equally passionate off it because of his desire to win. Very few players have had the courage to light a fire under Jerry and Stephen Jones.
That Parsons is using his platform to inspire change is all fans can ask for.
