Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a habit of stepping in or simply sticking his foot in his mouth whenever a microphone or camera is in his face. It happened again Tuesday during Jones’ weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. On the show, Jones responded to those who question the Cowboys’ ability to retain defensive linemen Quinnen Williams, Osa Odijizwa and Kenny Clark because of their high salaries.
Jon Machota of The Athletic: “Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed @1053thefan those who say Dallas can’t keep all three defensive tackles, Quinnen Williams, Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark, because of their salaries:
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“That’s not right. We can. We can build on this.”
Of course, that sounds easy enough for Jones to deal with. However, Cowboys fans and analysts haven’t forgotten how Jones chose not to pay highly touted defensive back Micah Parsons three months ago.
The Cowboys are 3-0 since trading Williams at the November deadline and are back in the NFC playoffs with a 6-5-1 record. In 2023, Williams signed a contract extension worth $96 million with the Jets. The Cowboys own Williams’ rights through 2027 but could potentially back out of the deal after next season.
Clark was traded to Dallas from Green Bay before the start of the season and is currently on a three-year contract extension with the Packers, averaging more than $21 million per year. Clark has two years left on his current contract. Odighizuwa rejoined the team in March, signing a four-year, $80 million contract extension.
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While Jones sounds confident he can make it happen in the playoffs, it will be interesting to see if that tune changes once the offseason arrives and wide receiver George Pickens is handed a new contract. Pickens will be a free agent after the season, and based on how he helps open up the offense again, he’ll need fair compensation to keep him in Big D.
All of these big-name players are coming to the forefront after fans watched Jones give up on keeping an All-Pro pass rusher (Parsons) just entering his prime in town for a few more years. Jones now wants this group of fans to believe that when he doesn’t re-sign a generational talent like Parsons, he’ll spend money to maintain this well-oiled defensive front machine.
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The Cowboys have made significant improvements on defense since the trade deadline. What was once a poor run defense is now one of the best over the past three games, and overall, Dallas has gone from giving up over 30 points per game to just over 21 over the past three games. If Jones and the Cowboys front office can find a way to keep this defensive unit together, that would bode well moving forward, but based on the team’s recent record, that sounds like nothing more than a pipe dream.
