The Dallas Cowboys got a deal done at training camp, but not the one fans are looking for.
The Cowboys announced Sunday morning that they have signed tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year, $52 million extension. All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, meanwhile, remains without a deal as he seeks an extension entering the final year of his rookie contract.
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The deal for Ferguson makes him the highest-paid tight end in Cowboys history and the seventh-highest paid TE in the NFL, according to the Cowboys. He signed the extension with one year remaining on his four-year rookie contract that’s scheduled to pay him $3.4 million in 2025.
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A fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ferguson was a part-time starter as a rookie and has been Dallas’ No. 1 tight end in the two seasons since. He emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite targets in 2023 with 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns.
Jake Ferguson has a new contract with the Dallas Cowboys.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ferguson’s production dropped last season as he tallied 59 catches for 494 yards without a touchdown. That still led Cowboys tight ends and was good for the third-highest production among all Cowboys pass catchers behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert.
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The Cowboys bolstered their receiving corps with the addition of former Pittsburgh Steeler George Pickens in the offseason. Ferguson projects to remain as a top target for Prescott.
Jerry Jones jeered by fans over lack of Parsons progress
Parsons, meanwhile remains without a contract extension as the second week of training camp approaches. The absence of his extension remains the top story at Cowboys camp and one of the biggest training camp stories in the NFL.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was greeted with boos and calls from fans to “pay Micah” as he addressed fans during a public training camp session Saturday.
Afterward, Stephen Jones, Jerry’s son and Cowboys executive vice president, responded to the crowd’s calls for Parsons to get paid. “We want to pay Micah, too. He has to want to be paid,” Stephen said, according to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
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That comment comes days after Jerry Jones swiped at the availability of both Parsons and quarterback Dak Prescott while addressing Parsons’ contract status at the start of training camp.
Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,” Jones said of Parsons. “He was hurt six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year — Dak Prescott.
“So there’s a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”
Parsons was not “hurt six games last year.” He missed four of 17 games with injury. In his previous three seasons, Parsons played in 50 of 51 regular-season games. He’s a three-time All-Pro and has made the Pro Bowl after each of his four seasons.
Parsons is seeking a deal that will make him among the highest-paid defenders in football after fellow All-Pro pass rushers Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt signed contracts in the offseason paying them $40-plus million per season. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million extension ahead of Steelers training camp that set the new bar.
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Parsons reported to training camp without his extension, but has been a limited participant since practices started Tuesday. He watched Wednesday’s session from the sideline with back tightness; he declined to call himself a hold-in.
Training camp escalates in intensity starting Sunday as the Cowboys practice in pads for the first time.
