The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off the 2025 season against the Dallas Cowboys and there are few matchups the NFL could have chosen that would be better for an opening night clash.
The Eagles and Cowboys have a divisional rivalry and it’s been centered around star power. While the Eagles have Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown and Saquon Barkley put up on the marquee, the Cowboys aren’t coming to Philadelphia shorthanded with Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb leading the way.
Those names mean there will be plenty for media outlets to fixate on during the leadup to the game. But what if one of those big names crossed over to the opposite sideline? Eagles general manager Howie Roseman may have just planted the seeds for that to happen next offseason and it could lead to Philadelphia reaching for one of the Cowboys’ biggest stars.
Eagles Unintentionally Throw Shade at Cowboys Over Micah Parsons Negotiations
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman spoke to reporters about a variety of topics this week and one of them was their preference to get contracts early with their young players. Roseman cited some of the recent contracts Philadelphia has done with Cam Jurgens, Devonta Smith and Landon Dickerson as examples and noted those deals help the team’s culture as they contend for another Super Bowl.
“When people understand that when they start here, they have an opportunity to continue here and get rewarded here, it’s incredibly important, so that when you draft guys, you can show them examples – if you do the right thing on and off the field, we’re going to make sure that we keep you here and maybe even have a chance to finish your career here,” Roseman said via Alexis Chassen of Bleeding Green Nation. “...We’re trying to draft, develop, sign and when you do that with players, your opportunity to set up continuity, your ability to really set up leaders for your football team going forward who can show young players the way, and how we do things, I think that gives you a chance to be special.”
Those comments may sound appealing to Micah Parsons. The Cowboys star edge rusher has been waiting for a new contract as he enters the option year of his rookie contract, but he’s sat by and watched as Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby and T.J. Watt signed extensions this offseason.
The good news is that those deals will help Parsons get top dollar when he signs on the dotted line. The bad news is that money could be used to upgrade the team around him. While the chances are great a deal will get done, it’s interesting to think about what could happen if it doesn’t.
Eagles fans have seen this storyline play out with Barkley in his final year with the New York Giants. While many expected Barkley to eventually reach a deal with his team, he made the surprising decision to sign with Philadelphia in the spring of 2024 and led them to a Super Bowl championship.
Even better, the Eagles rewarded Barkley for that performance with a two-year $41.2 million contract extension which puts him under team control through the 2028 (age 31) season.
It seems unfathomable that Parsons could leave Dallas considering how contract negotiations have played out in recent years. But if the Cowboys continue to drag their feet, Parsons will likely remember Roseman’s comments when he looks for a new team.