Stephen Jones: Cowboys Have to 'Hold Money Back' for Dak, Ceedee, Micah Contracts

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones says his team must "hold money back" to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott, linebacker Micah Parsons and receiver CeeDee Lamb.

"We spend max, max money year in and year out. All 32 can only spend the same amount of money over a five-year stretch," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas (h/t ESPN's Todd Archer.) "When we're all said and done, we max out our salary cap every year. We will have done that and what comes with having a good roster, which we do, we also are looking towards signing our own guys. It doesn't mean it happens overnight.

"But when you're wanting to sign players like Dak and Micah and CeeDee, then certainly you have to hold money back if you want to have a realistic chance of signing those guys."

Both Lamb and Prescott are currently set to become unrestricted free agents after the 2024 season. Parsons faces a similar situation after 2025.

Although Prescott is expected to play out the 2024 season on his current deal, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Cowboys remain in something of a stalemate with Lamb.

Lamb skipped this week's voluntary workouts as part of his campaign for an extension, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Spotrac lists Lamb's market value at four years and $115 million, which would rank him second only to the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill in the race to become the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL.

Parsons was also absent from this week's voluntary workouts, although Gehlken reported his absence was caused by a focus on a different training regimen, rather than a response to contract talks. The prolific defender also missed these workouts for the same reason last season.

The Cowboys currently have about $6.5 million in cap space for the 2024 season, per Over the Cap.