Well, Dallas Cowboys fans woke up the day after and realized that, somehow, life would go on after watching Jerry Jones try and explain away the most absurd trade this franchise has seen in quite some time.
After dealing away Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, the Cowboys now face a harsh reality in the form of the question: what's next? It's hard to move forward, for a fan base like this one, after watching events like this one unfold. But, the show must go on, and Jerry is going to continue to try and soften the blow.
Following the blockbuster trade, Jones has two very logical options in front of him in order to try and reel fans back in, and both of them have to do with extending players currently on this roster: Tyron Smith and DaRon Bland.
Jerry Jones' next move after trading Micah Parsons will be to lock down a different Cowboys star
You can't exactly "soften the blow" after a gut punch like this, but Jerry is sure going to try.
Well, if you count that sad excuse of a press conference, he's already given it a go. Now, he'll likely have to keep trying, and that starts with not allowing other Cowboys to leave. The most obvious extension target is probably Bland, mainly because he is not afforded a fifth-year option like Smith is.
The Cowboys' star corner, who came out of nowhere as a Day 3 pick back in 2022, is coming off a shortened season after he sustained a fracture in his foot. Now fully healthy and ready to bounce back in the final year of his contract, Bland will try and hold down the fort until Trevon Diggs is back from his injury as well.
Bland broke a single-season pick-6 record while amassing a league-leading nine interceptions in 2023, earning himself a First-Team All-Pro nod and giving Cowboys fans plenty of big moments to cheer. Now, Jones should extend him before allowing hiim to hit the free agent market while ensuring his defensive back field is one of the best in football, when healthy.
Additionally, Smith is entering the fourth year of his contract and the starting left guard is coming off his second-straight Pro Bowl bid. For a Cowboys offensive line that was once elite, it is imperative for Jerry to make strides to get it back to that level. That starts with a Smith extension, and it should come sooner rather than later.
The one thing Jerry cannot afford to do, from this day forward, is to play the same games he's continued to play for years now. He absolutely cannot refuse to pay his top players ahead of time, or else we will see these catastrophic events unfold like we did with Parsons.