Vikings Expected To Offer Extension To Kevin O’Connell; No Talks Ongoing
Kevin O’Connell‘s third season at the helm of the Vikings has gone well to date, in no small part due to his work guiding Sam Darnold to a productive showing so far. A new commitment from the front office could soon be coming as a result. 
The matter of extensions for O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (also in place since 2022) came up this offseason. Owner and president Mark Wilf noted no thought had been given at that point to new deals, but strong start to 2024 has no doubt boosted O’Connell and Adofo-Mensah’s stock. The Coach of the Year candidate is expected to receive an extension offer, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports (subscription required).
O’Connell – like Adofo-Mensah – is under contract through 2025. As a result, the Vikings do not need to act with much urgency especially in the immediate aftermath of the current season. Still, it would come as no surprise if that tandem were to remain in place on new accords given the track record currently in place. Minnesota went 13-4 in 2022 before injuries to Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson contributed to a 7-10 campaign which left the team out of the playoffs. Moving on from Cousins opened to door to Darnold’s one-year free agent pact, which put the latter in position to rebuild his value this year.
With J.J. McCarthy out for the year, Darnold has not faced competition for the QB1 spot and has generally thrived atop the depth chart in 2024. The former No. 3 pick is in position to land a lucrative free agent deal this spring, one which will will likely send him out of Minnesota. Regardless of how the Vikings proceed in that event, O’Connell’s success in leading Darnold to a strong outing this year has boosted his stock in terms of being considered one of the league’s top offensive minds. As Russini notes, though, no extension talks are ongoing at this time.
O’Connell, 39, helped lead the Vikings to a 42-21 win over Cousins and the Falcons on Sunday; as a result, Minnesota sits at 11-2 on the year and remains in contention for the top seed in the NFC. O’Connell could boost his stock even further by landing the No. 1 spot, but in any case the regular season can be considered a success. The team’s defense entered Week 14 at No. 5 in scoring, a testament to the job done by Brian Flores (hired as defensive coordinator by O’Connell in 2023).
Of course, success in the playoffs could be a key factor in determining how Minnesota operates on the O’Connell front. The Vikings were upset at home in the wild-card round in his only postseason contest to date, but 2024 is on track to provide him with the opportunity to go on a run. O’Connell’s standing in the organization will be an interesting storyline to follow over the coming weeks.
Jets Expected To Release LB C.J. Mosley In Offseason
2024 has been a disappointing year for many Jets players, veteran linebacker C.J. Mosley among them. Mosley recently landed on injured reserve, thus ending his season after just four games played, and our Adam La Rose speculated that the 32-year-old defender could become a cap casualty in the coming months. Today, ESPN’s Rich Cimini reported that Mosley is indeed expected to be released this offseason.
Mosley, who was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2014 draft, earned Pro Bowl acclaim in four of his five seasons in Baltimore, setting himself up for a lucrative payday after he played out the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2018. He signed a five-year, $85MM contract with the Jets in March 2019, which shattered the then-record for inside linebackers and which felt like an overpay at the time, even when taking his Pro Bowl accolades into account.
Indeed, authorizing Mosley’s contract was one of then-GM Mike Maccagnan’s final acts at the helm of the Jets’ front office, as he was fired in May 2019 and replaced by Joe Douglas a month later. Gang Green felt the financial burden of Mosley’s deal even more acutely when the Alabama product played in just two games of the 2019 season due to injury and exercised his COVID opt-out for 2020.
However, he settled in nicely over the following three seasons, averaging nearly 160 tackles per year and earning another Pro Bowl nod in 2022. Last season, the advanced metrics finally placed him among the ranks of the game’s elite middle linebackers, as Pro Football Focus assigned him an 82.9 overall grade that was good for the sixth-highest mark out of 82 qualified players.
This offseason, Mosley – who was originally slated to be a free agent after the current campaign – agreed to a brief extension that keeps him under club control through 2025. By signing that deal, Mosley agreed to a pay cut in exchange for additional guarantees, though just over half of his $8.25MM salary for 2025 is guaranteed. In order to minimize Mosley’s cap hit in 2024, when the Jets were fully expecting to contend, the club tacked on three void years, which means that it will be taking on $16.4MM in dead money if it follows through with a 2025 release.
Nonetheless, New York could still save money against the cap by designating Mosley a post-June 1 cut and spreading the dead money tab over two years. The team will also be led by a new GM, who will likely not be too worried about incurring dead money generated by the Douglas regime.
Steelers Rumors: Wilson, Pickens, RBs
We’ve touched a bit recently on the Steelers’ intention to re-sign veteran quarterback Russell Wilson and even touched a bit on the possibilities for his free agent stock, but recent reports have gone even further in reassuring that the intent is for Wilson to continue starting into the 2025 NFL season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
This is a small specification, as clearly, if they wanted him to stick around, he was probably going to continue to be the starter. But with the younger Justin Fields also having a decent showing during his tenure as the starter earlier this year, there was certainly a chance that Wilson was acting as a placeholder for a developing Fields. After Fields opened the season with a 4-2 start, many were curious why the Steelers wouldn’t stick with the hot hand.
Wilson, though, has gone 5-1 since taking over as the starter, giving Pittsburgh a couple of options for the future. When Fields was starting, he was acting mostly as a game manager for a middling offense, but when Wilson came in, the offense exploded into production. Wilson’s chemistry with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has been the difference and given Wilson a clear road to a permanent starting job in Pittsburgh.
Here are a few other rumors coming out of the Steel City:
- In a recent Q&A on X, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic gave an answer on the future of leading wide receiver George Pickens. While Pickens’ immaturity can get in his own way at times, Kaboly believes the youth and talent of the 23-year-old are enough to warrant an extension in the near future, predicting a good chance that it happens.
- In a different Q&A, Kaboly also made a prediction on the team’s future at running back. With both Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris in contract years, Kaboly calls it a “no brainer” that Pittsburgh tenders an offer to Warren. He goes on to say that he doesn’t see Harris back with the team next year, unless the free agent market doesn’t provide much competition for him, and he returns for a year on a “prove it” deal. It’s an interesting stance given the difference in production between the two this year, but many analysts have favored Warren in recent years, and the Steelers may be on the same page.
Raiders Fear QB Aidan O’Connell Suffered Season-Ending Knee Injury
9:15 PM: Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports has broken the confirmation that O’Connell’s leg injury is indeed serious. Per Schultz, O’Connell suffered a season-ending knee injury in today’s loss to the Buccaneers.
With O’Connell likely joining Minshew on IR, the remaining four starts of the season should fall to Ridder. The only other quarterback in Las Vegas, aside from part-owner Tom Brady, of course, is practice squad rookie Carter Bradley out of South Alabama, who will likely need to be called up to the active roster. If the Raiders want more bodies in the room, they’ll need to sign a free agent or practice squad member from another franchise.
3:21 PM: The Raiders have already been dealt one notable blow on the injury front with respect to the quarterback position. They appear to have endured another during Sunday’s action. 
Aidan O’Connell went down with a leg injury during the third quarter of Vegas’ game against the Buccaneers. An air cast was placed on his left leg before he was carted off the field. Such circumstances are often tied to major injuries and lengthy absences, and the Raiders will be further shorthanded at the QB spot if that proves to be true in this instance.
Gardner Minshew suffered a broken collarbone last month, leaving O’Connell in position to reclaim starting duties upon being activated from injured reserve. Minshew had won the offseason competition used to determine Vegas’ Week 1 starter, but neither passer impressed during training camp or the preseason. O’Connell saw playing time prior to landing on IR, and Minshew’s injury coincided with his return to action.
The 2023 fourth-rounder has not enjoyed much success this year, although his showing against the Chiefs on Black Friday (314 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions) showcased the potential for a late-season run of stronger outings. Instead, O’Connell’s attention will now turn to recovery as the Raiders move forward with Desmond Ridder under center. The former Falcon has made three appearances so far in 2024, his debut Vegas campaign. Ridder – a pending restricted free agent – could play his way into a deal with the Raiders or another team with his showings in the coming weeks if he finds himself as their only available passer.
For O’Connell, this development marks another unwanted mark on his efforts to secure a starting gig with the Raiders. He and Minshew are under contract for next year, but Vegas has long been seen as a suitor for a notable QB addition this offseason. With neither signal-caller easing doubts about their future before being injured, the Raiders will no doubt be a team to watch closely on that front.
Vegas lost 28-13 to Tampa Bay on Sunday, dropping the team’s record 2-11 on the year. The Raiders could very well be in position to select a passer during the first round of the draft as a result. O’Connell, 26, could return again this season depending on the severity of his injury, but he may well be sidelined until a 2025 campaign which could included new faces under center.
NFL Coaching Rumors: Bears, Shanahan, Sanders
As we continue to inch closer to the end of the season, head coaching jobs are becoming open, and more and more speculations are connecting candidates to new locations. According to Diana Russini of The Athletic, there are quite a few mixed opinions on whether or not Chicago is a premier destination for a new head coach.
There are certainly factors that make the Bears an attractive team to coach. Rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has shown promise throughout his first season on the team. There are a few other young, talented players ready to be developed, and even with some veteran contributors likely to be on their way out soon, Chicago should be in a pretty good position salary cap-wise over the next few years.
The issue comes from the organization’s management. For years and years now, horror stories have come out of Halas Hall concerning the uncertain hierarchy in the building. Candidates and their agents are doing research on team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles in order to determine who will have the ability and intent to potentially overrule the head coach. How stable or risky the situation is will likely contribute to the quality of candidates that interview for the job.
Here are a few other rumors about coaching situations across the NFL:
- We touched recently on some of the “comical” rumors that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was approaching a hot seat. General manager John Lynch shut down those rumors, but Shanahan felt the need to speak on a similar rumor after today’s win, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. When asked about speculation that another team should trade for him this offseason, Shanahan told the media, “I don’t want to be any place in the world more than here.”
- In what has been viewed as a relatively weak candidate pool for head coaching candidates this year, some college coaching names are popping up in conversations. One name that many have been looking for is fast-rising Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Sanders began his head coaching career at Jackson State, finding immediate success that led to his hiring at Colorado. After a rough first year under Sanders, the Buffaloes turned it around with a 9-3 season behind two separate Heisman candidates this season. With his obvious connections to certain NFL franchises, it makes sense that this would be the next step for Sanders, but according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, his name has not been making the rounds in coaching circles yet. The two teams that he has been linked to as a good fit, the Cowboys and Raiders, don’t have open coaching jobs, and he is currently not viewed as a natural fit for Chicago, New Orleans, or New York.
Lions Super Bowl Appearance Would Likely Feature Aidan Hutchinson
DECEMBER 8: As Hutchinson’s rehab continues, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reports the Lions remain hopeful a return in time for the NFC title game could be in play (video link). Plenty still needs to happen for that to become feasible, but having the team’s top edge rusher available prior to the Super Bowl would be crucial for Detroit’s defense.
DECEMBER 6: Aidan Hutchinson sightings during Lions games have become commonplace, and the star edge rusher continues to make progress. It now appears more likely than not the Lions maximizing their game count this season would involve a final-act cameo from Hutchinson.
Suffering a fractured fibula and tibia in Week 6, the third-year pass rusher is now walking without crutches and has progressed to running in a pool. This has created more optimism of a possible return before season’s end. Hutchinson’s recovery has reached the point that it appears the expectation is for him to play in Super Bowl LIX were Lions to qualify, Amazon’s Albert Breer notes.
We heard last month a Hutchinson Super Bowl reemergence was possible, but Breer offers a bit more in the direction of it being likely. This would be game-changing news for the Lions, though they obviously have work to do before this window could be open. It would now stand to reason Hutchinson’s IR-return window could open earlier in the playoffs, and it would be worth wondering if the timetable could include an NFC championship game.
That said, the Super Bowl featuring the bye week appears to loom as crucial for Hutchinson. Dan Campbell said in October that Hutchinson was looking at a four- to six-month recovery timetable. He went down Oct. 13; the Super Bowl is Feb. 9. The NFL’s season-ender coming at the front end of the recovery timeline points to Super Bowl-or-nothing for Hutchinson, though any return being in play would be a win for a Lions team gunning for its first No. 1 seed since home-field advantage became record-based in the mid-1970s.
The Packers consistently tested the Lions’ battered defense in the second half of a 34-31 thriller Thursday night. Detroit has seen Za’Darius Smith produce early; the trade acquisition has three sacks in four Lions games. But the team finished Thursday’s game without both its top D-tackles — D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill — and is not expected to have Marcus Davenport back this season. Linebackers Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez are all on IR. Barnes is not a lock to miss the entire season, and D-lineman John Cominsky could return in the playoffs. The Lions will need to save an injury activation for Hutchinson. They have five left, keeping a scenario in which Anzalone, Barnes, Cominsky and Hutchinson all return. Rodriguez suffered an ACL tear and is out for the year.
Gifted to the Lions after the Jaguars made a potential-over-production pick in Travon Walker to start the 2022 draft, the Michigan alum has become one of the NFL’s best defensive players early in his career. He was the early clubhouse leader for Defensive Player of the Year when he went down, having already registered an NFL-most 7.5 sacks and 17 QB hits — a year after leading the league in QB pressures — through five-plus games. The Lions still do not have another four-sack player, as McNeill leads all non-Hutchinson Lions with 3.5. Though, Smith has seven total sacks if his Browns games are included.
The Lions have plenty of work to do before the prospect of a Hutchinson re-emergence becomes real, but the 12-1 team has liked what is has seen from the soon-to-be extension-eligible EDGE’s rehab thus far.
Bill Belichick Takes Second North Carolina HC Interview; Jets Off Radar
DECEMBER 8: Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required) hears that Belichick’s interest in the UNC job is real, and that if he is offered the gig, he will accept it. Russini says that while Belichick is indeed motivated by breaking Shula’s record, that pursuit is not the “be-all, end-all.” She adds that Belichick was “turned off” by the lack of attention he received in this past offseason’s coaching cycle, and that he wants to run a football program without interference (it is unclear whether that contradicts earlier reports suggesting that Belichick is not necessarily seeking full control of football operations at his next stop).
However, there is still plenty of skepticism surrounding Belichick’s willingness to join the college ranks. Former and current Belichick associates tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post that the 72-year-old is focused on a return to the NFL, and that his conversations with UNC are intended to send a message to NFL front offices that he will have options and that there needs to be a sense of urgency about hiring him.
DECEMBER 6: The prospect of Bill Belichick taking an initial plunge into the college ranks in his 70s has generated understandable skepticism in NFL circles, as it has been widely reported the high-profile coaching free agent wants to return to the NFL. If his North Carolina connection is a bluff, however, it is fairly far down the runway.
Belichick met with Tar Heels reps a second time about their newly vacant HC position, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones reports, indicating this summit took place Thursday in Manhattan. Now holding a few media gigs, Belichick looks to be making it clear he wants to return to coaching next year — and a college debut may actually be in the cards, as farfetched as it sounds.
The six-time Super Bowl-winning HC does not want to be left out of a job during the upcoming cycle, Jones adds. But the Tar Heels’ timeline probably does not align with Belichick’s. The ACC program wants to have a Mack Brown successor in place early next week, Jones adds.
NFL teams who have not yet fired coaches cannot begin interviewing candidates on other staffs until after the wild-card round. Belichick can begin interviewing early, but teams must comply with the Rooney Rule and will naturally be interested in conducting several interviews. That cannot realistically happen until mid-January. If Belichick is a serious candidate for the North Carolina gig, he would need to bypass the 2025 NFL carousel.
Set to turn 73 in April, Belichick is not a guarantee to be on multiple additional NFL carousels. As mentioned several times in this space, no team has hired a coach older than 66 (Bruce Arians). Age undoubtedly factored into the lack of interest in Belichick this year, with the Falcons passing on a short-term partnership with the legendary coach. No other team conducted an official interview. That could well be the reason Belichick is open to the college game, even as the Division I-FBS level has seen massive changes over the past few years.
Belichick passing on this NFL cycle threatens to end his chances of breaking Don Shula‘s long-held career wins record. At 333 wins between the regular season and playoffs, Belichick is 14 shy of Shula. The former Patriots and Browns HC also wants to keep the record down the road, per Jones. Andy Reid‘s Kansas City success could threaten that. Reid, 66, just signed a five-year Chiefs extension and sits on 295 career wins. The prospect of Patrick Mahomes‘ current coach eventually moving into Shula range exists, even as Reid has been tied to seemingly annual retirement reports. His latest extension, one that made him the league’s highest-paid HC, should cool those rumors for a while.
Former Cardinals HC Steve Wilks is also a candidate for the job, according to Jones. Fired after one season as 49ers DC, Wilks has not been a head coach since his 2018 Cardinals one-and-done — a stint that prompted him to join Brian Flores‘ class-action discrimination suit. Wilks also has a recent past in the college ranks, being Missouri’s defensive coordinator in 2021, and an extensive past in North Carolina. The former Panthers interim HC is a North Carolina native who has spent much of his career in Charlotte.
As for Belichick’s NFL prospects, Jones confirms a recent report that indicated some of his former lieutenants — including longtime OC Josh McDaniels — are ready to rejoin him if he lands another NFL job. The Jaguars continue to come up for the free agent coach, with Jones adding Belichick’s smoothest path to having full control over a football operation again would stand to come with a Jacksonville franchise seemingly ready to reboot.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank said Belichick did not ask to run Atlanta’s football ops, and Jones reinforces the notion Belichick — who received steady criticism for his Patriots GM work late in that tenure — is not seeking full control. The Jags would offer Belichick a lower-profile media market and a roster that features an entrenched young quarterback, in 25-year-old Trevor Lawrence. A locked-in QB, albeit one that has been inconsistent, would seemingly appeal to a coach working on a shorter-term timetable due to his age. If Belichick does enter serious negotiations with the Jaguars, it is not expected he would work with GM Trent Baalke, who is on the hot seat.
Regardless of how the coaching landscape shakes out in the NFL early next year, Jones adds Belichick will not consider the Jets. The ex-Jets DC who famously resigned from his HC post in early 2000, leading to a contentious Jets-Patriots trade, is no fan of Woody Johnson and has taken shots at the organization — one responsible for launching the 2007 Spygate investigation.
Belichick-Jags connections have been coming up since September, and it appears this prospect remains on the radar. He has also been tied to the Giants and Cowboys, jobs that are also not yet available. As such, it still seems highly unlikely Belichick would punt on a path back to the NFL by taking a college job so early. Though, until the Tar Heels hire a coach, that avenue is still in play.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Panthers G Robert Hunt Felt Dolphins’ Extension Offer Was “Disrespectful”
In order to convince Robert Hunt to come to Charlotte this offseason, the Panthers made him just the fourth guard in league history to enjoy a $20MM/year contract, authorizing a five-year, $100MM accord that features $44MM in fully-guaranteed money. While Hunt’s original team, the Dolphins, were interested in retaining their 2020 second-rounder, it sounds as if Miami stopped well short of where Carolina was willing to go.
Although Hunt did not talk details, he acknowledged that the ‘Fins made an extension offer near the tail end of the 2023 campaign.
“Late in December they made an offer,” Hunt said (via Joseph Person of The Athletic (subscription required)). “I just thought it was a little disrespectful. It screamed that we’re not gonna pay.”
Hunt, 28, played in just 11 games last year due to injury, but he established himself as one of the game’s better guards after the Dolphins moved him from right tackle to the interior of the line in 2021. Pro Football Focus considered him a top-12 guard in both 2022 and 2023, and with the Panthers anxious to give second-year quarterback Bryce Young adequate protection and to improve their rushing attack, they were prepared to pay top dollar for Hunt’s services.
At 3-9, Carolina is suffering through another difficult season, but as Person notes, the club is pleased with the return on its Hunt investment. His pass-blocking metrics have regressed to a degree, so he is presently ranked as PFF’s 21st-best guard out of 73 qualified players. Those struggles in the passing game were on display during the Panthers’ recent loss to the Chiefs and defensive lineman Chris Jones, who is one of the game’s most fearsome interior rushers.
Of course, Jones gets the best of many opposing blockers, and the Panthers’ staff is not concerned about Hunt moving forward.
Said run game coordinator Harold Goodwin, “Rob had some good battles with [Jones]. Rob won some. [Jones] won some. So it was good ebb and flow to the competition. We’ve just gotta get Rob’s hands and feet more coordinated. I think … Rob was pressing because he knew who it was.”
Even with the downturn in the pass-blocking component of his game, it appears that Hunt’s efforts this season — to say nothing of his contract status — have entrenched him as one of the foundational pieces of the roster for the foreseeable future.
Chiefs To Start D.J. Humphries At LT In Week 14
D.J. Humphries is about to become the Chiefs’ third starting left tackle of 2024. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter was first to report, Kansas City will deploy the recent acquisition as Patrick Mahomes’ blindside protector for tonight’s Week 14 matchup with the Chargers.
Humphries, who will turn 31 this month, was released by the Cardinals in March. He sustained a torn ACL at the end of the 2023 season and was therefore not even certain to be medically cleared to return to the field in 2024. As such, it was an easy call (from a purely financial standpoint, at least), for Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort to cut ties with the longtime Cardinal and his $22MM cap charge.
Fortunately, the 2021 Pro Bowler did receive medical clearance last month. After drawing interest from the Giants and Patriots, he elected to join the defending champs, who considered a reunion with Donovan Smith — their primary LT in 2023 – before agreeing to terms with Humphries.
Although the Chiefs are 11-1 and therefore in excellent position to make another deep playoff run, the left tackle position has been a notable sore spot. 2024 second-rounder Kingsley Suamataia won the job in training camp, but he was benched in Week 2 in favor of 2023 third-rounder Wanya Morris, who has started every game since. Through just 12 games, Mahomes has already been sacked a career-high 32 times (h/t Ian Rapoport of NFL.com), and he has been taken down five times in consecutive games for the first time in his career (h/t veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder).
The situation became so dire that the Chiefs shifted left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle for the last couple of drives of their Week 13 win over the Raiders. While Humphries is certainly not a lock to return to his Pro Bowl peak, it would be hard for him to perform worse than the Suamataia/Morris tandem.
It was expected at the time of the Humphries signing that he would be inserted into the starting lineup either this week or next, and clearly the Chiefs felt they could not afford to wait. They gave Humphries, who has started 98 games in his career, a fairly notable salary – $5MM, prorated to $2MM for the remainder of the year, with a maximum value of $4.5MM – and if he plays well and stays healthy, he could position himself nicely for a longer stay in KC.
Though he has battled numerous ailments throughout his nine-year stint in the pros, Humphries was durable enough and solid enough to secure multiple lucrative extensions with the Cardinals and has earned over $84MM in his career.
Micah Parsons, Stephen Jones On Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy; Parsons Addresses Contract Talks With Team
Add Micah Parsons to the list of notable Cowboys employees who would be happy to have head coach Mike McCarthy back in 2025. Just as quarterback Dak Prescott recently endorsed the embattled, lame duck HC, Parsons offered his own support for the only skipper he has played for in the professional ranks.
“I would like a fair shot with everyone back — players, coaches — because the injuries kind of struck of what this season could really be,” Parsons said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “The injuries have been terrible. And, you know, it really sucks. Seeing Zack [Martin], D-Law [DeMarcus Lawrence] not having the year I know he planned to have. He had such a great start. It really sucks.”
On McCarthy specifically, Parsons added, “in terms of coaching, man, Coach Mike, me and his relationship has always been really good. He always took real good care of me.”
Parsons acknowledged that the final call on McCarthy’s fate will be made by owner Jerry Jones, but Jones himself suggested at the end of November that he is amenable to a new contract for McCarthy. Likewise, Jones’ son, team EVP Stephen Jones, offered public support for his HC during a recent radio interview on 105.3 The Fan.
“I think our whole team endorses Mike McCarthy,” Stephen Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “He’s got skins on the wall. He’s won a Super Bowl. He’s been in multiple championship games. He knows what it takes to win in this league.”
Interestingly, Stephen Jones added that a decision on McCarthy would not be predicated solely on win-loss record. Thanks in large part to Dallas’ injury struggles – including a season-ending hamstring ailment that Prescott suffered in Week 9 – the Cowboys have limped to a 5-7 mark through the first 12 games of 2024. McCarthy did oversee three straight 12-5 finishes from 2021-23, thus bolstering his case for a new deal, but the fact that those regular season performances resulted in just one playoff victory is what dissuaded team brass from authorizing a re-up this offseason.
Despite the highly complimentary nature of the Joneses’ public statements about McCarthy, it would register as something of a surprise if he were given a new contract at season’s end. Injuries or not, Dallas has failed to advance beyond the divisional round in any of his first four seasons at the helm, and the club has just a 4% chance of even qualifying for the playoff field this year. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network indicates that McCarthy’s future in Dallas remains up in the air, and it could depend on how the team closes out the campaign (video link).
Unlike McCarthy, Parsons is guaranteed to be back with the Cowboys in 2025, and he could land a massive new deal in the coming months. Selected in the first round of the 2021 draft, the Penn State product was eligible for an extension this past offseason, though since he is still on his rookie contract and controllable through 2025 by virtue of the fifth-year option, Dallas prioritized extensions for Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Still, the expectation is that Parsons will get his due in 2025. Prior reports have noted that the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time First Team All-Pro will top the 49ers’ Nick Bosa ($34MM AAV) as the highest-paid defensive player in the league, and he could elect to wait to see if the Steelers’ T.J. Watt and the Browns’ Myles Garrett – both of whom profile as 2025 extension candidates – land top-of-the-market accords of their own in order to increase his bargaining power.
Publicly, at least, Parsons is downplaying the importance of breaking a contractual record, citing the need for the team to have enough financial flexibility to properly fill out the rest of the roster.
“It really just depends on the circumstances of who are we trying to get, who’s trying to return,” he said. “I look at it from a business side also, you know? If we’re going to be aggressive and bringing in players to play next to me because right now, you look at it, I don’t know who I’m playing [with] …”
“So, to me it’s all about the foundation of the team, like, ‘How can I create the best foundation and play with the guys who have helped me create a lot of success?’ Those guys helped me get to where I am, where I can become the highest-paid player. So, I would like for as many of us to be here as possible so we can continue having success, winning seasons.”
The 25-year-old edge, who has continued to perform at an elite level in 2024 despite a four-game absence stemming from a high ankle sprain, emphasized that, at a certain point, squeezing as much juice as possible out of his own contract may not be worth the squeeze.
“I feel like you see a lot of times ‘highest-paid,’ then we say they don’t have weapons, or they don’t have this. So, I would rather just be in the best situation, you know? At that point, I don’t think there’s a big difference between $30 million and $40 million in my eyes, you know? And that’s just me talking.”
Parsons conceded that his agent may not be too fond of those comments, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes the Cowboys’ top defender has indeed hurt his leverage in impending negotiations. That, of course, remains to be seen, though it does create an interesting backdrop for one of Dallas’ top offseason agenda items.