After the Dallas Cowboys' defense got gashed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Thursday's loss, I bet they wished they could've had a healthy Micah Parsons out there. But instead, the Cowboys' defense couldn't stop a nosebleed and Bucky Irving ran wild despite all of the personnel changes on defense.
Right now, it sure looks like the Cowboys' decision to trade Parsons (despite his ACL injury) isn't aging that well, and it isn't only because of Christian Parker's lack of success with this unit. It's also because one of the first moves they made after dealing him away was signing Jake Ferguson to a four-year, $52 million contract extension with $20 million in guaranteed money.
It was a decision that received pushback, given that it seemed like Jerry Jones was just trying to prove that he does pay players. But he also paid Ferguson a year early, making him the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the NFL at the time.
That investment has aged poorly, and Thursday's loss was a culmination of Ferguson's troubling regression.
Paying Jake Ferguson after trading Micah Parsons is blowing up in Jerry Jone' face
Despite this being a matchup perfectly catered to his strengths, Ferguson is one of the players who is most culpable in the loss, as he dropped two passes, including the pass that turned into the game-sealing interception from Dak Prescott. He's the reason that ball deflected into the air and sailed right into Alex Anzalone's hands, despite being in the middle of leading a game-tying drive.
And to make matters even worse, he's not the only financial investment aging like spoiled milk on this team.
At this point, the Jake Ferguson extension has basically been flushing money down the toilet, and it might be time for the Cowboys to consider cutting ties.
Even though he's under contract through 2029, it's no guarantee he'll stick around long enough to land all of the non-guaranteed money on this contract, especially with the way he's been playing. So while this $20 million is a waste, they could get out of this contract as soon as this coming offseason.
Per Marcus Mosher, since 2024, Ferguson is tied for the third-most fumbles (8) among all running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends. If that's not bad enough, he's the only person in that top 11 with fewer than 400 touches. He has just 151, which means he's fumbling roughly every 19 times he touches the ball.
What does Jake Ferguson do well anymore?
It's not even like he gets the football that much, yet he still finds new ways to be a liability. And given how replaceable tight ends are in the modern NFL, it'd be easy to get more stability from Brevyn Spann-Ford, who is also a better blocker, or draft someone at some point in the near future.
Basically, the 27-year-old's only saving grace is his prowess as a red zone threat, but on a team with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, that doesn't hold much weight. His athleticism has declined following an ACL sprain in 2024. He's become a shell of the player from a couple years ago who could make defenders miss after the catch.
Since cutting him isn't an option until the offseason, Brian Schottenheimer has to reduce Ferguson's snap share going forward. The options behind him are not great, but he is actively hurting Dallas' chances of wins, which are proving difficult to come by with this team.
The fact that some of that money could've gone to Micah Parsons is an atrocity, and once again, a bad financial decision is coming back to haunt the Cowboys.
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