Either Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is trolling us, or he really wanted to confirm in his latest Netflix documentary that marketing and making money come before Super Bowl victories.
Not only did Jones want the younger generations to know that the Cowboys did, in fact, once play in a Super Bowl way back in the ’90s, but the first few episodes of America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys emphasized how much Jones leaned on his marketing background to generate attention for the team. First of all, all the credit to Jones for thinking outside the box. He owns a franchise that is valued at $12.8 billion.
However, maybe there’s been too much focus on increasing the team’s value off the field and not enough attention on building a legitimate Super Bowl contender for a franchise that hasn’t played in an NFC title game in 30 years. Once again, the Cowboys are locked in a messy contract dispute that’s generating countless content and headlines while possibly hurting the team on the field.
Star edge rusher Micah Parsons appears more interested in eating nachos and lying on tables than being a part of the Cowboys. But is that enough to force Jones’s hand to either trade Parsons or make him the highest-paid nonquarterback in the league? We’ll take a close look at this latest contract dilemma in this week’s NFL Fact or Fiction.
We’ll also examine a few interesting nuggets that came out of two in-depth features from the MMQB staff last week. Joe Burrow believes he’s the best at his position, and Saquon Barkley isn’t sure he’s the most talented at his respective position.
Let’s dive in.
Cowboys will trade Micah Parsons
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Parsons’s behavior before and during the Cowboys’ preseason finale against the Falcons on Friday certainly had the look of a player who wants out of Dallas.
Still, I find it hard to believe that Jones will end up trading one of his star players, especially after watching his Netflix documentary. Jones made it evident for the Netflix cameras that he’s all about money and marketing. Parsons checks all the boxes for the Jones family as a player who can generate sacks, eyeballs and dollars.
Many took notice of Parsons lying on a medical table behind the Cowboys’ bench while the offense was marching down the field. Parsons was also the only player on the sideline not wearing a Cowboys jersey. And the star pass rusher also went viral for doing a “call me” hand gesture when a Falcons fan shouted at him to push for a trade to Atlanta.
Perhaps Parsons took it too far with his behavior. Still, it’s all about gaining leverage in this contract dispute, which is why Parsons made his trade request public and probably why he looked disinterested in the preseason finale. Until a contract extension is worked out, expect more wild-card antics from Jones and Parsons, like a heated game of Uno between family members.
Jones probably enjoys seeing Parsons adding more drama to this contract dispute. But don’t worry, Cowboys fans. Parsons will probably get his new deal days before the NFL regular-season opener against the Eagles. Jones will get to keep his star player after months of generating content and headlines for the marketing machine that is the Cowboys.
Commanders were right to pay Terry McLaurin
Manzano’s view: Fact
It’s understandable why the Commanders dug their heels in a bit with Terry McLaurin’s contract negotiations. The star receiver turns 30 next month, and it rarely works out paying top dollar for a player in the back end of his prime.
Ultimately, McLaurin’s value for Jayden Daniels outweighed the risks of paying a player on the wrong side of 30. Washington was right to pay McLaurin in large part for what he’s done for the franchise in the past, with the hopes that he’ll continue doing the same in the foreseeable future, after both sides agreed to a three-year, $96 million contract extension. McLaurin will be 31 when the new deal officially kicks in. Still, perhaps the team protected itself by agreeing to a shorter deal and paying a sizable portion in the first year, with reports saying McLaurin will receive a $30 million signing bonus. To compare, DK Metcalf, who doesn’t turn 28 until December, saw a four-year, $132 million extension from the Steelers.
Regardless of how this extension looks in a few years, the Commanders needed to keep McLaurin happy. The franchise is finally trending in the right direction after a surprise appearance in the NFC title game, and followed that with splash trades for Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. You can’t have an all-in mentality without having Daniels’s best weapon on the field.
Barkley: Bijan Robinson is the most talented RB
Manzano’s view: Fiction
When I first saw Barkley’s quote making the rounds on social media, I agreed, with some hesitation, that Bijan Robinson is the most talented running back in the league.
This wasn’t about who’s the best at the position because that’s clearly Barkley, coming off a 2,000-yard season and a dominant playoff run to win the Super Bowl during his first year with the Eagles. Also, Robinson’s cuts and vision are a thing of beauty, making him a contender for most talented.
However, once I read the NFL season preview cover story (always read the story!), Greg Bishop reminded readers about Barkley’s jaw-dropping play last season, which consisted of a Barry Sanders-like spin move before leaping over a Jaguars defender—backwards. So, yeah, Barkley is wrong. He’s still the most talented running back in the league, even in his age-28 season.
Robinson could very well have a breakout third season with the Falcons, but he needs to deliver a handful of memorable plays that resemble what Barkley did to the Jaguars last year. Until then, Barkley takes the crown for most talented running back.
Burrow is right: He’s playing QB the best
Manzano’s view: Fact
Reading Albert Breer’s feature on Burrow, it’s wild to think how much of a big deal was made about his wrist injury heading into last season. That was quickly forgotten during Burrow’s career season, leading the league in passing yards (4,918) and touchdowns (43).
Burrow was just being confident in himself when he told Breer, “I’m not sure I would say anyone is playing the position better than I am right now.” But I agree with Burrow because of what he did last season, and it’s not a complex debate when putting the MVP conversations aside, which is more about how the candidate’s team is performing. If the Bengals were a playoff team, Burrow might have won the award over Josh Allen.
Just in terms of a quarterbacking standpoint, no one was better than Burrow last year, especially not when it comes to throwing the ball from the pocket. Some might say it’s not difficult to throw passes to Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. The counterargument to that is the number of times Burrow had to be perfect to give his team a chance in spite of a poor defense.
For the first time in his career, as Breer mentioned, Burrow didn’t have to deal with something this offseason, like an injury, which was the case the prior four offseasons, or coping with COVID-19 restrictions for his first training camp in 2020. Now, with a normal offseason, Burrow could perhaps top what he did last season, which may be necessary given the Bengals limited efforts to address their defensive concerns.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Jerry Jones Won’t Trade Micah Parsons, and the Best Players at QB and RB.