(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
It's now obvious that waiting to re-sign top players is the modus operandi for the Cowboys. We've seen it with CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, Ezekiel Elliott and now with Micah Parsons. But why? Parsons seems eager to sign. And in the end, these players get what they want anyway, and everyone seems happy. Is there any kind of advantage to dragging the process out? – Kelly Walters/Oklahoma City, OK
Mickey: Now slow down there a bit Kelly. First of all, how do you know what Micah and his representative are asking for? How much guarantee are they asking for? All of it? Like 75 percent? Those are always negotiable. Sometimes the more guarantee, the less total package. The players don't always get what they want. CeeDee was asking for more total package than he ended up getting and more guarantee. The Cowboys don't necessarily drag these negotiations out. And say, if you owe someone like $50 million dollars, do you pay that before the bill is due. Every million dollars against the cap is meaningful. Like you can get three players for just more than $3 million. So, let's not assume we all know what the negotiations are looking like, because guarantee you agents always start off asking for way more than the going rate. Always remember, this money is not Jerry's money, it's the ÃÛÌÒTV salary cap money, and you should demand them be frugal as possible.
Kyle: My first piece of advice, remember that not everything is as it seems when it comes to contract negotiations. While Parsons himself seems eager to sign, he has an entire party of people that may want this to play out deep into the offseason, allowing other contracts to fall in line first (Trey Hendrickson for example). It also doesn't mean the Cowboys have put off signing Parsons either. While the last report of talks came prior to free agency, that could mean there's a framework in place that could resolve quickly when talks resume. To answer the question though, there's no real benefit to letting contract talks linger this long, but there's also no real rush to get them done either.
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