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New York Times
3 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Cowboys 2025 offseason vibes: Micah Parsons' contract, Trevon Diggs in the doghouse and more
In the words of Jerry Jones himself, courtesy of a Netflix docuseries scheduled to drop next month, the Dallas Cowboys are 'a soap opera 365 days a year.' The 2025 offseason in Dallas is no exception. From the outset, the Cowboys attracted scrutiny for the way they handled making a decision at head coach. After the first training camp practice in Oxnard, Calif., on Tuesday, two of the team's biggest names — Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs — held a joint media session in which they expressed frustration and disappointment with team ownership. Advertisement It's no secret that Diggs has fallen out of favor with numerous people at the top of the organization. This goes back to last season when then-defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was visibly unhappy with Diggs, particularly with the cornerback's reluctance to get physical against the run. When Diggs was finally shut down for the season late in 2024, members of the coaching staff and front office expressed disappointment in the way Diggs had approached his rehab from a torn ACL suffered early in the 2023 season. The front office's frustration became apparent when Jones ended his post-draft news conference with a backhanded compliment to Diggs. 'If he has not worked as hard, he is more subject to injury,' Jones said. 'He's learned that one time.' Diggs, apparently, didn't get the message. He released behind-the-scenes video content of the 2023 rehab that Jones was critical of, and went on to have a stretch of absences from the team's offseason workouts at The Star in Frisco, Texas, opting to work on his rehab in Florida with his own team. The Cowboys not only fined him (per the terms of his contract), but also made it clear in the team's State of the Union news conference Monday to start training camp that Diggs' decision was disappointing and a sign of faulty leadership. Jerry Jones on Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs losing money from his base salary for not rehabbing enough at the team facility this offseason: 'He didn't earn it. He didn't come. That's in his contract. … Bottom line is those are contractual things.' — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 21, 2025 'We expect a player paid like Trevon to be here all the time,' Jones said Monday. 'We expect him to be leading — expect him to be leading — but that's not new.' Stephen Jones added: 'He understood when he decided he was going to train in South Florida, he understood what the consequences would be.' Advertisement During the same news conference, Jones openly pondered whether giving Diggs — and right tackle Terence Steele — a contract extension in 2023 was the right decision. On Tuesday, Diggs was asked specifically about the fines for missing parts of the offseason workouts. 'I didn't expect that,' Diggs said. 'That kind of hurt my feelings. But it's OK. Hopefully I'll make it back in incentives.' While Diggs' reasoning was that he felt rehabbing away from the facility was the best approach for his recovery, the Cowboys clearly don't trust Diggs' instincts in that regard. Additionally, they felt Diggs' decision didn't take into account the other aspects, such as leadership, which carry more weight for a player who holds the fifth-highest cap hit on the roster. Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs on being docked pay for not working out enough at The Star in the offseason: "I didn't expect that. It kind of hurt my feelings. It's OK, though, hopefully I make it back in incentives." Diggs said there is no target date for his return. He said he's… — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025 This situation began on the opposite end of the vibes spectrum. Toward the end of the 2024 season, Parsons publicly said he didn't need to set the market for non-quarterback contracts. In a rare occurrence, Jones gave Parsons his direct line, and the two even shared a suite to watch a College Football Playoff game together at AT&T Stadium. However, things have progressively soured. At the owners' meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., Jones claimed to not even know the name of Parsons' well-respected agent, David Mulugheta. Parsons immediately shot back a tweet in Mulugheta's defense. In contract situations, the frustrations are primarily centered around the delay in a resolution. The Cowboys supplement an already frustrating situation by peppering in comments that can be perceived negatively by the other side. During Monday's opening news conference, Jones downplayed the urgency to get a contract extension done with Parsons. In doing so, he also took a swipe at Parsons' durability, pointing out that Parsons missed six games last season (he actually missed just four games — the only stretch Parsons has missed since coming into the league in 2021). Advertisement Parsons didn't hide his frustrations with the situation. 'I want to be here. But at the end of the day, they sign the checks, like always,' Parsons said Tuesday. 'Let's see if they want me to be here at the end of the day. … At any given time, they could get things done so I don't think that helps. I just think, I'm doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn't for Jerry, this isn't for Stephen.' Parsons wrapped up his comments with a sentiment echoed by many fans. 'I don't take it personally,' Parsons said. 'I just don't understand.' Cowboys DE Micah Parsons: 'There's really not much movement' on contract talks. 'I want to be here. At the end of the day, they sign the checks. Let's see if they want me to be here.' 'I'm doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn't for Jerry.' — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 22, 2025 The month between the end of mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp is always a nervous time for NFL teams. It's when the only headlines to be made by players are negative ones. Cowboys' Pro Bowl returner KaVontae Turpin made one of those in early July when he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and unlawful carrying of a weapon. Coach Brian Schottenheimer said he had spoken to Turpin about the situation. 'He understands that there is a standard with how we conduct ourselves,' Schottenheimer said. 'He knows that he needs to be better, but we won't get into all of the specifics.' Turpin is expected to be a bigger part of the offense this season in addition to his role as the team's primary kickoff and punt returner. This one is different from the others because this wasn't the Cowboys' fault, but schedule-release day in May was a tough pill for their fans, who typically try to be optimistic during that time of year. Advertisement But a six-game stretch late in the season seems quite daunting on paper, beginning with a late-November tilt at home against the Philadelphia Eagles. That game is followed by: • Hosting the Kansas City Chiefs for Thanksgiving (Nov. 27). • A road game in Detroit (Dec. 4). • Dallas returns home to face the Minnesota Vikings (Dec. 14) on Sunday night and Los Angeles Chargers (Dec. 21). • The Cowboys conclude the difficult stretch against the Washington Commanders on Christmas (Dec. 25) at Northwest Stadium. After that gauntlet, all that will remain for the Cowboys to improve their postseason prospects will be a road game against the New York Giants. In addition to the schedule itself, the Cowboys' attempt at a clever way to release their schedule to the masses fell flat. Takin' a closer look at America's Stream 🔍 We dropped clues in today's livestream to reveal our 2025 schedule! 🎟️ Get @SeatGeek tickets now ➡️ — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 15, 2025 If it wasn't enough for Cowboys fans to deal with missing the playoffs and extending the Super Bowl drought to 29 years, they also watched NFC East rival the Philadelphia Eagles dismantle the modern dynasty of the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. While Cowboys fans spent mid-February figuring out reasons to get excited for the future under a new head coach, Eagles fans took to the streets in Philly to celebrate a second Super Bowl title over the past decade. It feels like a distant memory now — Brian Schottenheimer's constant positive energy has helped many people forget — but the Cowboys' offseason had a frustrating start. Mike McCarthy's future as head coach was a topic of conversation throughout a struggling 2024 season, littered with underperformances and injuries. The way Dallas handled the decision-making on his future was a bad look for the franchise. Then there was the ensuing coaching search, which didn't include any headline names and ended with the hiring of Schottenheimer — who wasn't on anybody's radar — including his own. Advertisement Although Schottenheimer has been nothing but positive since his hiring, those few weeks in January — the process of parting ways with McCarthy and the coaching search — were arguably the lowest point for the vibes surrounding the Cowboys. (Photo of Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
5 Takeaways from Cowboys presser as concern builds for Diggs' future, Parsons contract
The Dallas Cowboys' 2025 season is officially underway. The team reported to Oxnard, CA for their annual training camp pilgrimage on Sunday, and Monday was the team's opening press conference. As is tradition, it wasn't just the head coach who held court. Brian Schottenheimer was there as the big dog for the first time ever in his career, but he was of course overshadowed by the front office. Owner Jerry Jones and son Stephen held court and took the lead as the local media was ever so happy to accommodate by directing most of the questions towards them. With a potential contract hold-in by the teams best player Micah Parsons ready to be in effect on Tuesday, there was plenty of attention given to those thoughts. However that wasn't all that was discussed. There was an inkling of actual football conversation that took place. Here's a look at the top five takeaways from the afternoon media session. 1. Schottenheimer sees RB1 competition as open battle between Sanders, Williams The Cowboys signed two veteran running backs this spring, Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, while letting Rico Dowdle walk in free agency. Schottenheimer isn't giving either the edge, but they clearly are the primary competitors for the lead role in the committee, not Texas rookie Jaydon Blue. 2. Jerry Jones is angry at himself, not Micah. The biggest news of the day, or at least the tidbit that got the most attention, was Jones' response to a question about Micah Parsons' contract. The Cowboys have been able to extend Parsons beyond his rookie deal for over a year, and now stand to go into 2025 without having him locked down. Jones talked as he does, but got everyone riled up when he added his two cents to a question about Parsons that actually was directed towards Schottenheimer. He went on a journey that talked about the fact he could sign Parsons and the team still not have him available due to injury, saying Parsons missed six games last season (he only missed four). That moved into him speaking on paying Dak Prescott the largest NFL contract ever last year and only seeing him for 1/3rd of the season. He spoke about paying players too soon, and flat out referenced that they should've waited to pay Trevon Diggs and Terence Steele when DLLS reporter Joe Hoyt asked why did they pay them early and make CeeDee Lamb wait. Both of those players had huge question marks when they were given long-term deals. There are no such questions around the NFL about Parsons, which means Jones is punishing himself. 3. Schottenheimer's style When asked about his plans for his first training camp, Schottenheimer spoke about being a physical team and winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. He also spoke to the team's upcoming joint practice against the Rams, indicat 4. Trevon Diggs might not be here at the end of 2025, much less in 2026. Neither of the Joneses missed any attempt to speak on their anger over Trevon Diggs (knee) not rehabbing with the club this offseason. The team docked him $500,000 for doing his work in Florida instead of under the watchful eye of the team. Diggs' contract had a de-escalator for not being a part of the offseason program, and the front office had already spoken publicly about their belief he didn't take his 2024 knee rehab seriously and that it led to the re-injury. Diggs was one of four players placed on the PUP/NFI list, earlier on Monday. The Joneses referenced him to show what a leader doesn't do, and as highlighted above, spoke about paying players too early without getting a full understanding of those type of characteristics. Along with the drafting of Shavon Revel this past April, this clear public assault feels like the Diggs trade market is open as soon as he's able to be on the field. 5. Good opportunity to look at several players whose contracts are up in the near future Stephen Jones said they'll be in communication with the representatives of guys like DaRon Bland, George Pickens and Tyler Smith, star players who are entering the final years of their rookie contracts. Jones offered a rebuttal to a question that they may have already begun negotiating with Smith. This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys press conference covers RBs, Parsons and Diggs leadership
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
3 key observations from Cowboys training camp practice No 1: Parsons hold-in? QB2 emerges?
The Dallas Cowboys started their on-field work for the 2025 season on Tuesday, amid the fallout of the stir created by the team's opening press conference. As Jerry Jones pointed out, he thoroughly enjoys injecting himself into the spotlight, craving to be in the throes of a willing media to take everything he talks about and distract away from actual football being played. That trickled down to the first practice, as Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons' post practice media scrum were littered with questions about what was missing. Diggs was missing from the offseason work and had to answer questions about his $500,000 in lost salary. Parsons is missing an extension and has begun invoking the thoughts of not being in Dallas for the long term. The on-field product saw the collective unit get it's first run under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, which offers both coaches and players a reprieve from the circus the owner enjoys conducting; at least for a few hours. Here are three key observations from training camp's Practice No. 1. 1. Micah Parsons wasn't a full participant in practice Parsons did appear at practice, and though the expectation was there for him to participate in the practice drills, he was notably absent from a significant portion of the activity. It's clear Parsons is trying to balance the leadership aspect he intends to take on he and Jones have both hammered home publicly. It's also clear Parsons is not keen on risking himself too much while working towards the season and waiting for a new deal. 2. Edge rusher rotation looks like it has a real shot of being dynamic, or is the OL bad? Every year, it's easy to get caught up in the hype of one side of the ball or another based on training camp performances. The problem is, optimism allows fans and media to see it as positives for one side of the ball and not negatives for the other. This is often the case when trying to evaluate the trenches. Are the defensive linemen really this good, or is the offensive line in for a tough year? Astute beat writer Patrik Walker tends to wade through that in his evaluations, so perhaps his first impressions of Marshawn Kneeland's second season and Dante Fowler's second stint will hold true. It was he [Kneeland], not a cornerback or linebacker, who grabbed the first interception of 2025 training camp ... It ended in the former second-round pick taking away the ball, shedding a would-be tackler or two and tattling off several yards for Matt Eberflus' defense. Back like he never left, only seemingly better and/or more motivated to prove he's one of the best pass rushers in the league when given the reps, Dante Fowler heft hi imprint all over the first practice. His most notable contribution was on an attempted handoff from Dak Prescott to JaVonte Williams. Fowler teleported to the backfield and nearly got to the ball before Williams did, on a play that would've been destroyed if the players were in a padded practice. 3. Cowboys backup QB appears to be Joe Milton, who had an up and down first practice The Cowboys acquired second-year QB Joe Milton from the New England Patriots this offseason, and it appears he'll get a ton of work this camp. HC Brian Schottenheimer already admitted on Monday that they were going to limit Dak Prescott's reps, much to his disappointment, and it was Milton not Grier who got the lion's share of extra snaps. According to Walker again, Milton had an up-and-down day, making some nice throws, but also some with shoddy accuracy, as well as fumbling twice. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Parsons hold-in? QB2 emerges? Day 1 of Cowboys camp offers questions
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The Real Reason Why a Cowboys/Parsons Extension Is Taking So Long
Cowboys Insider Clarence Hill tells Rich Eisen the real reason why Jerry Jones' contract talks with Micah Parsons have dragged on so long.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Jerry Jones' comments hurt the Cowboys in Micah Parsons talks?
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz, senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson and senior NFL writer Frank Schwab discuss the Dallas owner's comments during his opening press conference at the team's training camp as the four-time Pro Bowler seeks a new contract. Hear the full conversation on 'Inside Coverage' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen. View more Video Transcript Every time Jerry speaks, there's just so much to it. Man, and so like, Micah Parsons goes on a podcast and makes it clear that, you know, it's complicated negotiating. His camp wanted to get a deal done. Then Jerry comes out, calls him Michael Parsons instead, and, and calls him by the wrong name. He talks about car accidents like, uh, watching the entire press conference. C. Rob was a car accident. What the hell is going on in Dallas? He sat down and rolled into it and you're just sitting there and I, I, it was. I feel like every opening press conference there's always something, there's always kind of a jaw wagging moment. But this one was unlike anything I've ever seen. I've never seen, uh, the first camp fight you have basically started by your owner. And, you know, he's he's talking about Micah Parsons and, um, you know, making it clear, like, he basically feels like he already negotiated a contract extension directly one on one with Micah Parsons. Uh, Jerry and Stephen both said they hadn't talked to David Mulugheta, uh, Micah Parsons' agent, despite the fact that Micah Parsons said, I want to do this deal through my agent. You know, Mulugheta is a heavy hitter. You don't just blow off this guy, you don't just circumvent him. He is not that dude. You don't do that in a press conference to open the season. There's nothing to gain by a multitude of the things that Jerry Jones said. But it always seems, on the outside looking in, like the players are just kind of like, it's just Jerry, he's just kind of nuts. Like, what is that, right? Like, it never seems like this goes anywhere. It never seems like guys are walking out of camp or anything. They're just kind of, throw it kind of shrugged their shoulders like, what do you expect? You see the guy too? Like, is that true? I mean, frankly, money always solves the problems. That's correct, right? Like, I mean, uh, you know, it wasn't all rainbows with the CDLAM negotiation. Um, you know, the Dak Prescott last two negotiations through Todd Fran, I mean, very contentious, you know, at times, you know, especially behind the scenes. I think there was a ton of frustration, um, when it came to the Cowboys, but they opened the pocketbook. That's the thing. And, and, you know, particularly when it comes to the superstars, they always put them, if they're not at the top of the pile, they're real close, and that tends to, to resolve things. So, you know, to me, the only way this really truly gets nasty is if Micah, you know, they put the pads on and things start to get physical, and Micah says, I'm just, I should probably leave, you know, I should probably not be here right now for this. If I'm not going to be out there in the pads and I'm gonna do a hold in, it might as well just be a straight holdout. If that happens, I'm not saying that turns not possible, but if that happens, um, then I think this, this tends to get a little nastier. Close
