Should the Dallas Cowboys pay Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons first?

Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are all candidates for contract extensions, but the Dallas Cowboys have to take a long look at their finances before committing to lucrative deals. We’ll assess each of their cases to be the first one paid, as all three appear to be franchise cornerstones. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

As NFL fans have seen this offseason, being a quarterback has its perks, especially when it comes to rising salaries. Tua Tagovailoa and Jordan Love signed on for huge paydays with the Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers, respectively. With this in mind, Dallas might not want to wait much longer to ink Prescott to a new deal with skyrocketing prices at the position.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Athlon Sports that he’s supremely confident that a deal will get done, which will prevent Prescott from hitting the open market next March.

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The Dallas News reported that the Cowboys have a salary range that they’re comfortable paying Prescott, which was determined by the contract extensions quarterbacks have signed in the last several months.

This situation is going to get resolved one way or the other in the coming months, as ESPN reports that the Cowboys cannot use the franchise tag on Prescott in 2025. Prescott also has a no-trade clause in his current deal. A trade would seem highly unlikely before or during the season, so this will come down to dollars and cents.

CeeDee Lamb has been an integral part of Dallas’ offense since he was drafted in 2020. However, the receiver took a massive step forward in 2023, finishing with a monster statistical line. He had 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns, which put him in the upper echelon of players at his position.

In order to make his intentions known, Lamb has not been present during the early portion of Cowboys training camp. This ensures that he’ll remain healthy, but it also might put pressure on Dallas to cave into his demands.

The Cowboys reunited with running back Ezekiel Elliott in the offseason, who knows what it’s like to miss preparation time in hopes of receiving a new contract. He told Sports Illustrated, “All you can do is put in your work and make sure you’re in shape when you get back,” in reference to Lamb’s holdout.

According to Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, the team approached Lamb about an extension last year, but the wideout wanted to push it off. Jones told Sports Illustrated, “It used to be people really wanted to go early. It’s hard to get someone to go because, let’s face it, if they wait, they’ll get their money.”

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Stephen Jones told the NFL Network that they made a revised offer to Lamb at the end of July, and that communication with Lamb’s agent is consistent and ongoing.

On the other side of the ball, Micah Parsons has become one of the best defensive players in the league. The Cowboys have a little bit more time to work on his new deal, as he still has two years remaining, including a fifth year option for 2025. It seems like Parsons wants to stick around for a while.

Parsons told Athlon Sports, “I want to be here my whole life. I plan on building a house here and being in Dallas forever. I love this city. I love the community. I love what it stands for.”

Parsons told ESPN, “You look at Jason Witten, you look at Michael Irvin, you look at Emmitt Smith, you see they’re still in the community, still active. The star holds so much weight and the legacy that brings.”

According to a Sports Illustrated story from June, Parsons still eventually wants the big dollars. The story believes that the defensive lineman/edge rusher expects to be the highest paid non-quarterback whenever his new deal gets done.

The Draft Network’s website predicts that Parsons’ new deal might be worth $180 million over five years, which would be a massive haul for the defensive difference-maker.

If you were Jerry Jones or Stephen Jones, who would you dole out the big bucks to first? Let us know by leaving a comment!

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