Cowboys' Stephen Jones: 'It's a challenge' to keep every star player

With quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb entering contract years, and with Micah Parsons eligible to sign an extension ahead of his fourth season, Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones is finding it challenging to keep all of his star players.

"Well, those things take time," Jones said on the "Scoop City" podcast, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini and Larry Holder.

He added: "I mean, you're talking about two players (Lamb and Parsons) that aren't quarterbacks that feel like they ought to be a little bit like (the Minnesota Vikings' Justin) Jefferson, the top-paid non-quarterbacks in the league."

Lamb skipped mandatory minicamp amid stalled negotiations. He's expected to become one of the NFL's highest-paid players at his position after Jefferson, A.J. Brown, and Amon-Ra St. Brown each signed deals worth more than $30 million per year in 2024.

Jefferson set a WR record with the four-year, $140-million extension he inked in June. Lamb's projected market value is at $34 million per year, according to Spotrac.

Prescott, who has a no-tag clause and a cap number of $55.1 million in 2024, is likely to remain one of the league's top-paid quarterbacks with his next contract.

"His resume speaks for itself," Jones said of Prescott. "He was second in MVP voting last year. He's just had an extraordinary career here in Dallas. And, you know, those things just take time when you're talking about the amount of money involved. ... We're trying to, a little bit, play Houdini in how to keep all these guys around Dak and keep these players we were fortunate enough to draft."

He added: "When you start stacking them up like that, it's a challenge. It's not that it's not doable, but you certainly got to have some give and take if you want to do that."

Jones used the Kansas City Chiefs as an example of how hard it is to keep all of a team's stars. The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins during the 2022 offseason instead of extending him.

"You know what happens to teams when you do have these high-priced quarterbacks. At some point, it's a challenge to keep everybody," Jones explained. "Obviously, the Chiefs are an example of that. But they were able to survive not keeping Tyreek Hill and some other top players. They let go (of) one of the top corners (L'Jarius Sneed) ... You have to make some tough choices along the way. But we're optimistic that we can do that."