'Sickening!' Cowboys' Micah Parsons Reacts to Saquon Barkley Signing: Dallas NFL Free Agency Tracker
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MARCH 11 'SICKENING!'Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Saquon Barkley are Penn State products and pals. So Micah might be happy for Barkley on a personal level.
But after seeing his own starting running back Tony Pollard make his exit for the Tennessee Titans, and then getting the news that Giants running back Barkley is staying in the NFC East to play with the Philadelphia Eagles?
“Sickening,” Parsons wrote on X with laughing emojis.
Barkley is getting a three-year deal worth $37.75 million. Parsons was surely hoping to see the Cowboys pay Barkley instead ... but now he'll once again play him twice a year in the NFC East.
During the 2023 season, Barkley rushed for 962 yards in 14 games with six touchdowns. He also had 41 receptions for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He was coming off of a 1,300-yard season in 2022. ... and on a good team? He might be the best back in football.
Pollard, by the way, is signing the three-year deal with a value of $24 million, per Adam Schefter.
MARCH 8 MONEY MOVE The Cowboys have as expected converted a portion of guard Zack Martin’s salary, thus clearing $13 million by “flipping the switch” and moving his same money to future years.
The move - which costs nothing but is simply about bookkeeping - should push Dallas toward being cap-compliant for the March 11 start of the NFL business year.
The Cowboys have long-planned this action, as they have with other moves, including a cap-helping extension for Dak Prescott, though those negotiations are seemingly in limbo at this time. (The urgency is cooled a bit by the new $255.4 million cap, a pleasant surprise to teams facing tight decisions.)
Worth noting: the Martin transaction may include the addition of a “void year” to his contract. So as always, what is “owed the cap” doesn’t go away; it just gets pushed to the future, where the piper will eventually get paid.
MAR 5 SCHULTZ SIGNED Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Dalton Schultz seemed to once again be a prime candidate for the franchise tag this offseason.
However, for the first time since his rookie deal, Schultz's future is secured for the long term, with the former Cowboy signing a new three-year $36 million deal with the Houston Texans on Tuesday.
Schultz, who came to the Texans as a free agent last offseason from the Dallas Cowboys, signed a one-year $6.25 million deal with Houston and performed admirably, catching 59 passes on 88 targets for 635 yards and five scores in 15 games with eight starts.
FEB 24 COMMANDERS TO COWBOYS The Cowboys have made another hire to their coaching staff. ... and once again, guys are trading offices between here and Washington.
The Cowboys have hired Cristian Garcia to serve as their defensive quality control coach. In the 2023 season he helped coach the defensive backs coach.
He's the second coach the Cowboys have taken from the Commanders after they hired Jeff Zgonina to be their defensive line coach. And of course, the switches back and forth are led by Dan Quinn, who had been the Cowboys' defensive coordinator, leaving to take the Commanders head-coaching job and then bringing with him Joe Whitt Jr. and Sharrif Floyd.
Garcia finished his playing career at Florida in 2017 as a team captain.
FEB 20 PHILBIN'S BACK The Raiders are hiring an old hand - and a Mike McCarthy guy - to their staff.
Former Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is the guy, as he will serve in Vegas as their new senior offensive assistant, per NFL Network.
Philbin worked as the Dallas O-line coach for a time and most recently was an Ohio State senior analyst. But now Philbin is back in the NFL to offer his experience to the staff of first-year full-time coach Antonio Pierce.
FEB 14 LYNN TO DC - Dan Quinn has just hired another big name - and another guy with Cowboys ties - to his coaching staff in Washington.
The Commanders are adding Anthony Lynn as their run-game coordinator. … and Lynn, 55, brings with him a wealth of experience that includes a stint as Dallas running backs coach.
Lynn was the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017-20 and for the last two seasons has been the assistant head coach for the 49ers, who just lost in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Lynn was born in DFW and continues to maintain a family home in Frisco … but like Quinn, he’s a Dallas guy turned DC guy now!
FEB 8 'I'M NOT THE GM' Why is Mike McCarthy still the coach of the Dallas Cowboys? It may be a question that fans are still asking after a third-straight 12-win season ended with an early playoff exit. It was also a question recently posed to the Cowboys' all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith:
"Because I'm not the GM," Smith said Thursday, according to Andrew Perloff.
In other words, Emmitt isn’t exactly endorsing McCarthy’s retention.
In the initial aftermath of the Cowboys' embarrassing loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard game, it seemed possible that team owner Jerry Jones would part ways with McCarthy as rumors of Bill Belichick's firing in New England lingered.
However, following a meeting between the pair, Jones decided it was best to bring McCarthy back for his fifth and potentially final season in Dallas as his contract expires next year.
FEB 7 A NEW CANDIDATE The Cowboys have added to their list of new defensive coordinator candidates with by scheduling an interview with New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel.
Marquand is scheduled to interview Thursday, ESPN was first to report.
The Cowboys' candidates to replace Dan Quinn, who left to become the Commanders’ head coach, have largely fit a profile, with the likes of Mike Zimmer, Ron Rivera, Wink Martindale and Rex Ryan among the names.
All of them have experience as coordinators, as does Manuel, 44, who once held that position in Atlanta - while working for Quinn - and who before that played for Mike McCarthy's Packers.
FEB 6 MCADOO MOVEThe deal is “effectively done,” reports SI … so the Patriots have hired ex-Giants coach Ben McAdoo, and his title will be “senior offensive assistant.”
FEB 4 MCADOO BACK? The Patriots are putting together their coaching staff in the post-Belichick era and it looks like a Mike McCarthy protege might get a gig.
Reportedly, the Patriots are "in talks" with McAdoo, the former Giants head coach Ben McAdoo about having him join their staff to help offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
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McAdoo was most recently the offensive coordinator of the Panthers. Before that he was a Cowboys consultant.
JAN 26: 'GET AWAY!' No, not "get away'' from the Cowboys. "Get away'' from it all ... just for a little bit.
That is the advice that Troy Aikman tells CowboysSI.com he would offer to Dak Prescott after what the Hall of Famer termed a "shocking'' failure in the playoff at the hands of the underdog Packers.
Watch the Video Visit above for the full context of Aikman's point, which includes him stating his belief in Prescott - "I am a big fan of Dak. I still believe his best days are ahead of him," Aikman said - and his reply to our query about advice he'd offer.
"Get away!'' Troy said with a chuckle. "Get away from everybody and regroup.''
