The Philadelphia Eagles continued their spending spree, signing star receiver DeVonta Smith to a three-year extension. Will the Dallas Cowboys answer back with a CeeDee Lamb deal?
No contract story is more newsworthy than the Dallas Cowboys’ lack of contract stories this offseason.Despite the noise about going all-in, the pent-up frustration over yet another early exit, and the urgency that comes with wasting years of a talented roster, none of it was enough to land a big fish in free agency . Jerry Jones and the Cowboys sat on their hands and watched the best teams improve and the mediocre teams try to make themselves competitive. Not only did Dallas fail to bring in significant reinforcements, despite a long list of people leaving for greener pastures. But the Cowboys have been too timid to expand their team. Quarterback Dak Prescott is entering the final year of his contract. Superstar receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons are in line for record-breaking contracts. … with the latter two sitting out Monday’s start of offseason workouts. And yet, Dallas is content with twiddling its thumbs on each of them, no matter the risk.
Meanwhile, the rival Philadelphia Eagles have rebounded in the months since collapsing down the stretch and falling short of a second consecutive NFC East title. The team fell short of expectations, and general manager Howie Roseman did his part to ensure it wouldn’t happen again.
Both coordinators have been replaced, bringing in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio to re-establish what winning looks like after a single lost season. The team added running back Saquon Barkley, signed edge rusher Bryce Huff, and brought back defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
On Monday, they extended star receiver DeVonta Smith to a three-year, $75 million deal.
Philadelphia now has eight players with an average annual value within the top five of their respective positions. Six of them are homegrown talents – many of which the Eagles have prioritized extending before the deadline.
They’re not the “big brother” in the NFC East because of the media coverage, or the size of the fanbase, or the organization’s ranking on the Forbes’ list. Philadelphia is Dallas’ big brother because the front office is mature and aggressive enough to make the moves necessary to win, and knowing when to pull the trigger.
And by the way, they’ve made seven conference championships and won a Super Bowl since Dallas last hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
Lamb is only going to get more expensive, and his role on the offense is only going to get more significant as Prescott’s future grows uncertain. The best time to extend Lamb was the second he became eligible. The second-best time is now.
There’s an argument to be had that the Cowboys draft better than the Eagles, and that they have a better quarterback. But Philadelphia’s aggression, both in the open market and in-house, has set them apart in the NFC East and established them as a contender deep into the future.
The Eagles can survive bad contracts because of their urgency, aggressiveness, and ability to cut ties when the time is right. The Cowboys seem to live in fear of offering the type of contract that earns Philadelphia that flexibility.
That could very well be the difference in the NFC East next season.
