WAITING GAME
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones compares himself to Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and reiterates divisive ‘all-in’ claim
Jones' claim did not sit well with some Cowboys fans
JERRY Jones has turned to a bizarre comparison in order to explain the Dallas Cowboys' current contract conundrum.
The Cowboys find themselves in the unenviable position of having minimal cap space with three major contracts to negotiate.
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Both quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb - who is currently holding out of training camp - will hit free agency after the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, linebacker Micah Parsons is also on the lookout for a new deal as he enters the fourth year of his rookie contract.
If this wasn't enough, uncertainty also looms over the Cowboys' coaching staff, with head coach Mike McCarthy entering the final year of his deal.
When quizzed on the subjects during Wednesday's press conference in Oxnard, California, Jones decided to take an unusual approach - unexpectedly involving Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes - when explaining his stance on the matter.
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"In my life, I have played option quarterback so many times and wait until the last leaf on the tree," Jones said.
"If you want to picture a pure option quarterback going out to the sidelines, I have run that ball and kept it and not handed off to the [running] back, not pitched it back, not thrown it, and I have run that thing all the way out to the sidelines before I made the decision.
"Because I couldn't get whatever it took, it wasn't right for me to make the decision.
"And so what our fans, what you're seeing, what we deal with is we're buying time.
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"We're option-quarterbacking, and we're going out toward the sideline, and we haven't handed it, we haven't pitched it.
"We're trying to make our mind up [with] what to do? Does that sound like Mahomes to you? A little bit?"
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Jones went on to reiterate that at this time, they are simply waiting for that next leaf to fall.
During the press conference, Jones also took the opportunity to reinforce that he remains "all-in" on the 2024 Cowboys - a line that had previously proved divisive.
This phrase once again proved largely unpopular among fans on X.
"All in by not re-signing their 3 best players," one wrote.
"All in what?? Losing your star players??" asked a second.
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While a third brutally added, "He's been all in for the last 20 years and it's produced nothing lol."
However, while it may be taking longer than fans would have liked, deals could still be reached with all three.
Stephen Jones, Dallas' executive vice president, added that both Lamb and Parsons are looking to become the highest-paid non-quarterbacks in the NFL.
This would mean surpassing Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson's four-year $140 million deal.
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As noted by Jones, this type of cap hit was easier for Minnesota to manage given that they do not currently have a high-priced quarterback on their roster.
And while he remained outwardly optimistic that deals could still be struck, he repeatedly commented that their desire was to "work through reasonably" with their stars "to make it work."
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