Cowboys exec says Vikings aren't paying 'anyone on the roster'

This isn't exactly true, if we get into the details.

Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones during training camp at Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge Playing Fields. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Vikings caught a bit of a stray on Thursday from a random source: Dallas Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones.

Speaking to reporters about his team's ongoing contract discussions with CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, and Dak Prescott, Jones used the Vikings as an example of a team that could afford to give Justin Jefferson a huge new deal because they don't have anyone else to pay.

"You look at a guy like Jefferson, they're not paying a quarterback, they're not paying anybody on their roster at this point," Jones said. "So it's a lot easier for them to stretch a little more. We're just trying to work through, reasonably, with CeeDee, reasonably with Dak, what we can do to make it work from an economic standpoint. When you're trying to pay three guys like that, it certainly does limit your opportunities to maybe improve the roster down the line."

#Cowboys COO Stephen Jones says a team like the #Vikings aren’t paying a QB or “anyone on the roster at this point,” which makes it easier for them to pay Justin Jefferson $35M per year.

pic.twitter.com/0z2Uwpfcbn https://t.co/o5baVmNdMy

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 25, 2024

You can see where Jones is coming from in the sense that the Vikings don't currently have a highly-paid quarterback or a Parsons-level defensive player on their roster, but he's not exactly right either. This year, the Vikings have $57 million in dead money on their books from Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, and several other players. They've also got Brian O'Neill and T.J. Hockenson, who have a combined $37 million cap hit.

Oh, and the fact that the Vikings signed Jefferson to a four-year, $140 million extension earlier this summer didn't stop them from signing Christian Darrisaw to a four-year extension worth up to $113 million earlier this week. Yes, the context of J.J. McCarthy's rookie contract helps make those deals work, but to say the Vikings "aren't paying anyone on their roster" is untrue.

It'll be fascinating to see if the Cowboys decide to pay all three of Prescott, Lamb, and Parsons, or if they eventually move one from one of those stars. Drafting great players and then having to pay them top-of-the-line money is a good problem to have in the NFL.