Prescott says he's 'fully healthy' entering camp
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Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Cowboys sign TE Jake Ferguson to $52M deal as Micah Parsons continues without extension
The Dallas Cowboys got a deal done at training camp, but not the one fans are looking for. The Cowboys announced Sunday morning that they have signed tight end Tony Ferguson to a four-year, $52 million extension. All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons, meanwhile, remains without a deal as he seeks an extension entering the final year of his rookie contract. The deal for Ferguson makes him the highest-paid tight end in Cowboys history and the seventh-highest paid tight end in the NFL, according to the Cowboys. He signed the extension with one year remaining on his four-year rookie contract that scheduled to pay him $3.4 million in 2025. A fourth-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ferguson was a part-time starter as a rookie and has been Dallas' No. 1 tight end in the two seasons since. He emerged as one of quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite targets in 2023 with 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns. Ferguson's production dropped last season as he tallied 59 catches for 494 yards without a touchdown. That still led Cowboys tight ends and was the good for the third-highest production among all Cowboys pass catchers behind CeeDee Lamb and Jalen Tolbert. The Cowboys bolstered their receiving corps with the addition of former Pittsburgh Steeler George Pickens in the offseason. Ferguson projects to remain as a top target for Prescott. Jerry Jones jeered by fans over lack of Parsons progress Parsons, meanwhile remains without a contract extension as the Cowboys prepare to practice in pads for the first time on Sunday. The absence of his extension remains the top story at Cowboys camp and one of the biggest training camp stories in the NFL. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was greeted with boos and calls from fans to "pay Micah" as he addressed fans during a public training camp session on Saturday. Jones' address to fans took place days after his Monday news conference in which he swiped at the availability of both Parsons and quarterback Dak Prescott while addressing Parsons' contract status at the start of training camp. Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones said of Parsons. "He was hurt six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year — Dak Prescott. "So there's a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you're thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.' Parsons was not "hurt six games last year." He missed four of 17 games with injury. In his previous three seasons, Parsons played in 50 of 51 regular-season Cowboys games. He's a three-time All-Pro and has made the Pro Bowl after each of his four seasons. Parsons is seeking a deal that will make him among the highest-paid defenders in football after fellow All-Pro pass rushers Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt signed contracts in the offseason paying them $40-plus million per season. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million extension ahead of Steelers training camp that set the new bar. Parsons reported to training camp without his extension, but has been a limited participant since practices started on Tuesday. He watched Wednesday's session from the sideline with back tightness, but declined to call himself a hold-in. Training camp escalates in intensity starting Sunday as the Cowboys practice in pads for the first time.
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
Projecting Opening Night starting lineup for OKC Thunder in 2025-26 season
Don't fix what's not broken. That's the Oklahoma City Thunder's unofficial offseason motto. After winning the NBA championship, they have the rare opportunity to bring back basically the same roster — minus some changes at the bottom of the depth chart. The Thunder will enter the 2025-26 season at the top of the food chain. The NBA champions will hope to be a rare repeat winner. They spent the offseason locking down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren to long-term deals. Dealing with constant injuries, the Thunder fluctuated their starting lineup throughout their historic 68-14 regular-season campaign. Throw in Mark Daigneault's tendency to be fluid with his rotation throughout the year, expect OKC to remain flexible with its starters. As the Thunder continue to enjoy their summer, they're only a few months away from defending their top spot. Let's project what OKC's starting lineup could look like when it receives its ring on Opening Night: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander This is easy. Gilgeous-Alexander is the Thunder's franchise player. He had one of the greatest individual seasons ever. He brought home the MVP, Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP trophies. He also won the scoring title. The 27-year-old is one of the best players in the league. OKC's title window starts and stops with him. Lu Dort One of the longest-tenured Thunder players, Dort is fresh off a career season. He was named to his first All-Defensive Team. He's one of the league's best one-on-one defenders. The undrafted player has also developed into a legitimate outside shooter. He's been a fixture in the starting lineup for years now. Jalen Williams Another easy choice. Williams ascended into one of the NBA's best players last season. He had a career year as a first-time All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defense Team member. The 24-year-old is a walking efficient 20-plus points and an underrated defender. His trajectory should continue to rise after he stepped up as OKC's second-best player in the playoffs. Chet Holmgren Another easy choice. Injuries have limited Holmgren to playing only about half of his available games in his first three seasons. That said, he's easily the Thunder's best defender when he's on the floor. The 23-year-old has shown promise as a scorer over the years. But what he brings as a rim protector is worthy enough of the contract extension he signed this past summer. Isaiah Hartenstein As was said at the top — don't fix what's not broken. The Thunder have four permanent starters with a fifth spot up for grabs. Sometimes it's Hartenstein, other times it's somebody like Cason Wallace. But the Thunder stuck with the double-big lineup throughout the playoffs, sans a few NBA Finals games. It was the starting lineup that won them both of their Game 7s. It should be the same starting lineup to open next season.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
After 2 ACL tears, can Cowboys UDFA find way to make roster in 2025?
The Cowboys have not one, but two young players with ridiculously unfortunate injury luck. DeMarvion Overshown was a widely heralded draft pick in 2023, taken in the third round out of Texas. He initially laid claim to draft-day steal in training camp, but an ACL injury washed his rookie season away, and a second more serious tear ended his torrid debut in 2024. But he isn't the only one from that class who has suffered mightily as well. TE John Stephens Jr, son of former NFL running back John Stephens and half-brother to 2017 US Open champion Sloan, was a UDFA signing from that 2023 draft class. Faced with much longer odds of making that club, Stephens was converted from wide receiver into an impressive pass-catching tight end. However in the same preseason game Overshown blew out his ACL, Stephens did the same. Stephens fought back to make the team in 2024, but without having a chance to see the field, was once again lost for the year when he tore his ACL a second time in October. Stephens doesn't have the same plot armor as Overshown in 2025, but he is back at camp, fully participating less than a year after the second tear. Rundown Position: Tight end Age: 26 (Week 1 age) Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 221 pounds Hometown: Logansports, LA High School: Logansport College: TC, Louisiana (Highlights) Draft: 2023 Undrafted Free Agent Acquired: 2023 UDFA Contract: Three-year contract (2023), $2.7 million 2025 Base Salary: $960,000, no guarantees Career Earnings: $1 million (per Over The Cap) Profile Stephens has been a good story, but as he comes from the previous regime and has yet to step foot on the field in a regular season game, he has a lot of work to do this offseason. As a former wideout, he's much lighter than the rest of the tight end group. the team signed two UDFA tight ends this last draft season, Rivaldo Fairweather and Tyler Neville. He will also be competing with Princeton Fant, a fellow 2023 UDFA. All of these players are behind Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford and Luke Schoonmaker, who are the top three tight ends as training camp commenced. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
