The Dallas Cowboys have had a rough offseason, with Micah Parsons publicly requesting a trade and feuding with team owner Jerry Jones. It all comes after a 2024 season that was already going off the rails but effectively ended when quarterback Dak Prescott went out with an injury in early November.

While Prescott remains one of the league's better quarterbacks, recently, ESPN sports media personality and noted Cowboys skeptic Stephen A. Smith took to the national airwaves to declare that Dallas is overpaying Prescott.

“That is a grand total of $82 million … in cap space for Jerry Jones. That's how you know you are overpaying your QB,” said Smith, referencing some of the restructuring that has been done to Prescott's contract over the years (via First Take on X, formerly Twitter).

Prescott signed a massive deal with the Cowboys prior to the start of last season that made him the highest paid quarterback in the league. While he has been a solid starter in Dallas for nearly a decade, he also hasn't ever performed particularly close to a “best in the league” level, making some fans wonder if that money would have been better allocated elsewhere on the roster.

What do the Cowboys do now?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks at training camp opening ceremonies
© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Many pundits believe that Micah Parsons' highly publicized trade request was more of a negotiating tactic than it was a genuine desire to force his way out of Dallas.

Article Continues Below

However, it certainly spoke volumes about the players' deteriorating relationship with team owner Jerry Jones, who has overseen a slow and steady disintegration for the Cowboys from dynasty to laughingstock over the last three decades.

The Cowboys will now gear up for a 2025 NFL season in which many of their NFC counterparts have passed them by, particularly in their own divison.

The NFC East of course has the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles as well as last year's conference runner ups, the Washington Commanders.

Even the New York Giants seem poised to take a step forward this year.

The Cowboys will get their first shot at the Eagles when the season gets underway on September 4 in Philadelphia.

More Dallas Cowboys News
Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) hands a piece of his equipment to a fan while leaving the field after the Cowboys' game against the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.
Why Stephen A. Smith called Cowboys fans ‘the problem’Jackson Stone ·
Dallas Cowboys former running back Emmitt Smith (left) shakes owner Jerry Jones hand after being presented his hall of fame ring at halftime of the game against the Detroit Lions at Cowboys Stadium.
Emmitt Smith gets real on Jerry Jones’ role in Cowboys’ postseason woesPaolo Mariano ·
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer watch a play in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium.
Emmitt Smith voices disbelief over Cowboys’ decades-long futilityPaolo Mariano ·
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons watches in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at the SoFi Stadium.
Chris Jones calls Micah Parsons, Cowboys’ bluff on contract standoffDouglas Fritz ·
Dallas Cowboys running back Miles Sanders (27) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas.
Cowboys 2 injured RBs will do ‘something’ in practice this weekDouglas Fritz ·
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons (11) at training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons could break Michael Strahan and TJ Watt’s shared 22.5 sack record in the next three years.
Cowboys’ Micah Parsons predicted to break Michael Strahan, T.J. Watt’s shared recordYasmin Edañol ·