Dallas Cowboys will be NFL's top-ranked team in polarizing area

The Dallas Cowboys will almost certainly become the NFL's No. 1-ranked team in a very specific area heading into the new season.

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones on the field for warmups before the Cowboys take on the New York Giants. | Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Dallas Cowboys are probably the most popular NFL team in the country, but they certainly haven't done a whole lot of winning over the past several decades.

The Cowboys have certainly contended in recent years, but they have consistently fallen short in spite of spending big bucks each and every season.

While almost no one is picking Dallas to go to the Super Bowl or to even win the NFC East in 2025, the Cowboys could end up ranked No. 1 in one specific area this year: money spent.

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Currently, Dallas ranks 12th in the amount of cash it has blown this year, but as Dan Rogers of Blogging the Boys notes, that will all change if and when Micah Parsons gets his new contract.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons celebrates after the game against the New York Giants. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"The Cowboys sit just outside the top 10 in cash spending at the moment, but that will all change if they extend Micah Parsons this season," Rogers wrote. "When Nick Bosa got his extension a couple of years ago, it came with a $50 million signing bonus. If Parsons gets that much, it would propel the Cowboys to $358 million, surpassing the Vikings as the top cash-spending team in the NFL."

Parsons is expected to land an absolutely gargantuan contract. The Cleveland Browns handed Myles Garrett a four-year, $160 million extension back in March, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Chances are, Parsons will get more than that.

The 26-year-old has racked up 52.5 sacks over his first four professional campaigns and has finished within the top three of Defensive Player of the Year voting three times, so he is certainly deserving.

However, the Cowboys ending up at the top of the league in spending without a whole lot of success to show for it won't excite anyone. While it does display a willingness to win, it doesn't exactly shine a great light on the organization's decision-making.

Dec 29, 2022; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) works against Tennessee Titans guard Dennis Daley (71) during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

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