Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Owner Stephen Jones discussed multiple ongoing contract negotiations between the franchise and star players Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, saying that the franchise is working to make deals with both players.
The Cowboys are currently dealing with Lamb opting against participating in the team’s training camp to avoid the potential for any serious injuries, while Prescott is practicing but could become a free agent next offseason if he does not re-sign with the franchise.
These contracts and linebacker Micah Parsons’s future contract are a top priority for the Cowboys as they try to retain three of the most valuable players to wear the uniform in years.
Jones appeared on 96.7 The Ticket on Monday and said that working through all the different elements of the contracts caused some delay since the franchise wanted to create the best team and situation possible.
“Obviously, a guy like (Patrick) Mahomes, all he has to do is raise his hand. I think Mahomes also is liking winning those championships, and he knows he can (only) take so much before what can he have (around him). (Travis) Kelce did the same thing. He could’ve probably walked away with quite a bit more money in terms of what they got in the tight-end market. I think all of those things have to come into play,” he said, according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota.
Jones reiterated that the franchise would like to maintain a competitive roster of players around the team’s stars and said the economic situation in Texas could play a role in the discussions.
“One of the great things about Texas is, you don’t have state income taxes, companies like to move here because it’s a lower cost of living than it is in some of these other big cities. Those are all things that we’re trying to sell our players on so we can put other guys around Dak, CeeDee, Micah (Parsons), (Trevon) Diggs, (Terence) Steele. At some point, we want to keep being able to put some guys around them,” he explained, per Machota.
These comments came shortly after Jones made other statements regarding the discussions with the two-star players.
Jones discussed the contracts on Monday with 94.1 San Antonio’s Sports Star, saying that “… the ball is in (Dak’s) court and we’re waiting to hear from them,” adding that the franchise is having consistent communication with Lamb and his team.
“We keep having multiple exchanges with CeeDee. He actually sent us something late (Sunday). We continue to grind away on it. I would characterize both negotiations as very cordial and upbeat. We’re optimistic we’ll continue to work toward getting something done,” he said, per Machota.
Dallas will now try to hammer out the details of these contracts to ensure both players are on the field for the foreseeable future. This would be an immense boost to a team that is always looking to win another Super Bowl.