March 11: “I feel sick!''Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Saquon Barkley are Penn State alumni and friends. So Micah may be happy with Barkley on a personal level.
But after watching his starting running back, Tony Pollard, leave for the Tennessee Titans, he learned the news that Giants running back Barkley would remain in the NFC East to play with the Philadelphia Eagles. I wonder?
“I feel nauseous,” Parsons wrote to X with a laughing emoji.
Barkley is on a three-year contract worth $37.75 million. I'm sure Parsons would have preferred the Cowboys to pay Barkley instead…but now he'll once again be facing Barkley twice a year in the NFC East.
During the 2023 season, Barkley rushed for 962 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games. He also had 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He was coming off his 1,300-yard season in 2022. …and was he on a good team? He might be the best back in football.
According to Adam Schefter, Pollard has signed a three-year contract worth $24 million.
March 8 Money Transfer The Cowboys, as expected, cashed in a portion of guard Zach Martin's salary, clearing $13 million in a “flip the switch” and moving the same amount into the future.
The move costs nothing, is purely about bookkeeping, and should propel Dallas toward cap compliance for the March 11 start of the NFL fiscal year.
The Cowboys have been planning this move for years, as well as other moves such as extending Dak Prescott to a cap extension, but those negotiations appear to have stalled at this point. (The new cap of $255.4 million eases that sense of urgency a bit, which is a welcome surprise for a team facing tough decisions.)
It's worth noting that a deal for Martin could include a “gap period” added to the contract. So, as always, what is “owed with a cap” does not disappear. It will only be pushed into the future and the Pied Piper will eventually get his reward.
March 5th: Signed with Schultz. Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz appears to be a top candidate for the franchise tag once again this offseason.
But Schultz's future is secured long-term for the first time since his rookie deal, as the former Cowboy signed a new three-year, $36 million contract with the Houston Texans on Tuesday.
Schultz, who came to the Texans as a free agent from the Dallas Cowboys last offseason, signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with Houston, starting 15 games and catching 59 passes on 88 targets for 635 yards and five scores. He showed a wonderful performance. .
February 24th: From Commanders to Cowboys The Cowboys have hired a new coaching staff. …And again, people are swapping offices between here and Washington.
The Cowboys have hired Cristian Garcia as their defensive quality control coach. During the 2023 season, he helped coach the defensive backs.
He becomes the second coach to take over from the Commanders after the Cowboys hired Jeff Zgonina as defensive line coach. And of course, the back-and-forth switch was led by former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who left to take the Commanders' head coaching job and brought in Joe Whitt Jr. and Sharif Floyd.
Garcia finished his playing career in Florida in 2017 as a team captain.
February 20th Philbin’s return The Raiders have some veteran talent on their staff, including Mike McCarthy.
Former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin will be the new senior offensive assistant in Las Vegas, according to NFL Network.
Philbin was Dallas' O-line coach for a time and most recently served as a senior analyst at Ohio State University. But now Philbin is back in the NFL, lending his experience to the staff of his first-year full-time coach, Antonio Pierce.
February 14th Lynn to DC – Dan Quinn just hired another big name and Cowboys official to his Washington coaching staff.
The managers will add Anthony Lynn as run game coordinator. …And Lin, 55, brings a wealth of experience, including a stint as running backs coach in Dallas.
Lin was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020, and spent the past two seasons as an assistant head coach for the 49ers, who just lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Lynn was born in Dallas-Fort Worth and continues to have a family home in Frisco…but just like Quinn, he's now a Dallas native and a Washington DC native!
February 8th “I’m not a GM” Why is Mike McCarthy still coaching the Dallas Cowboys? It's a question fans may still have after his third straight 12-win season ended in an early playoff exit. That was also the question recently posed to Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys' all-time leading rusher.
Smith: “I'm not a GM'' Said Thursday, according to Andrew Perloff.
In other words, Emmitt doesn't exactly support Mr. McCarthy staying.
After the Cowboys' embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Game, rumors of Bill Belichick's firing in New England lingered, leading to the possibility that team owner Jerry Jones would part ways with McCarthy. It seemed like there was.
However, after talks between the two sides, Jones decided it was best to bring McCarthy back for his fifth and likely final season in Dallas, as McCarthy's contract expires next year.
February 7 New Candidate The Cowboys have scheduled an interview with New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel to add him to their list of candidates for a new defensive coordinator.
Marquand is scheduled to be interviewed on Thursday. ESPN First reported.
The Cowboys' candidates to replace Dan Quinn, who resigned to become head coach of the Commanders, include Mike Zimmer, Ron Rivera, Wink Martindale and Rex Ryan. It almost fits the profile.
All have experience as coordinators, including Manuel, 44, who previously held the position in Atlanta while working for Quinn and before that with Mike McCarthy's Packers.
Feb. 6 McAdoo Transfer The deal is “virtually complete,” SI reports…so the Patriots will hire former Giants coach Ben McAdoo, whose title will be “senior offensive assistant.”
Will you be coming back to McAdoo on February 4th? The Patriots are building their coaching staff for the post-Belichick era, and it looks like a Mike McCarthy protege could get the job.
The Patriots are reportedly “in talks” with former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo about adding him to their staff to assist offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
McDoo Zimmer
McAdoo most recently served as the Panthers' offensive coordinator. He previously served as a consultant for the Cowboys.
January 26th: “Run!” No, I'm not “running away” from the Cowboys, I'm “running away” from everything… just a little bit.
This is what Troy Aikman told CowboysSI.com he would offer to Dak Prescott after the Hall of Famer called it a “shocking” failure in the playoffs by the underdog Packers. That's advice.
Watch the video visit above for the full context of Aikman's points. That includes him stating his belief in Prescott. “I'm a huge Dak fan and I still believe his best days are yet to come,” Aikman said. The question is about the advice he offers.
“Run!” Troy said with a laugh. “Stay away from everyone and regroup.”
