FRISCO, Texas – Micah Parsons, George Pickens, Tyler Smith, Jake Ferguson, DaRon Bland, Brandon Aubrey.
Those are some of the names that enter the 2025 NFL season on the final year of their contracts or begin to be eligible for contract extensions for the Cowboys, all significant contributors in their own ways and pieces that Dallas would like to keep around if they can.
Parsons' extension has been one of the major talking points of the offseason, with the All-Pro saying that he wants to get a deal done before the team heads to Oxnard before training camp so that he doesn't miss a step.
"It's extremely important. I mean, you really see a lot of players struggle when guys aren't participating in camp and they're getting off to slow starts. I don't wanna get off to a slow start," Parsons said in April.
"I wanna hit the ground running and establish ourselves in this league and get some wins early in the season, and be in rhythm. It's gonna be extremely important for me to get going and lead these guys."
"Lead" is the key word there, as Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones made it clear at the NFL's league meetings in April that he wants a full commitment from Parsons as a leader of the defense before he signs a check, and thinks he's on his way to doing so.
"He has the skill, he has the capacity mentally, and so for us to justify the kinds of dollars we're talking about with any basis, he has to literally lead the way," Jones said. "And he's so substantive that if he's halfway not leading, it's glaring. And so Micah has to really lead, I think he's committed to do that."
With Parsons' deal likely getting him in the ballpark if not setting the bar for the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league when his contract is signed, the Cowboys will have a good chunk of their cap space invested in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons.
That doesn't mean they won't strive to keep some of the other aforementioned players in Dallas going forward.
"We've got [Parsons] covered if it's a franchise number, we've got that covered all the way through," Jones said when asked if Parsons' contract was a prerequisite for other players. "It is absolutely non-essential to have a deal with Micah as far as structuring our salary cap over the next year or two."
Pickens is the newest Cowboy to enter the picture, heading into the final year of his rookie deal after being traded for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder. For now, he's not looking ahead and is focused on being the best version of himself for the 2025 season.
"I'm kinda where my feet are right now, to be honest," Pickens said when asked about getting a deal done with Dallas before the season. "I'm not really thinking about contract talks. I'm just glad to be with the Cowboys right now, trying to build a winning culture."
In 2025, both Bland and Ferguson will be looking to prove themselves after injuries staggered their 2024 campaigns following Pro Bowl honors for both in 2023. Smith and Aubrey have been two of the best players at their positions in the league over the course of their young careers, and will likely be priorities to stick around in Dallas going forward. The Cowboys will certainly use their "5th-year" option on Smith if a deal isn't done to keep him through the 2026 season. And Aubrey is a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
There's a lot of work to be done, but having a strong stockpile of good players is never a bad problem to have.
2026 Unrestricted Free Agents:
- Micah Parsons
- DaRon Bland
- Jake Ferguson
- Damone Clark
- George Pickens
- Donovan Wilson
- Sam Williams
- Jalen Tolbert
- Brandon Aubrey (restricted)
- Tyler Smith (5th-year Option)
- Will Grier
- Matt Waletzko
- Buddy Johnson
