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The NFL Draft is two days away, and the Dallas Cowboys are still looking for ways to improve the 10 current picks they have in the seven rounds that will take place from Thursday to Saturday.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after Tuesday's pre-draft press conference that the Cowboys are working on "pretty significant trades" for players, although he offered no further details other than that they are taking calls with teams, ESPN reported.
The Cowboys have traded for quarterback Trey Lance, wide receivers Jonathan Mingo and Brandin Cooks, as well as cornerback Stephon Gilmore in recent years.
However, the Cowboys have not closed a large-scale deal since the acquisition of Amari Cooper in the 2018 trade deadline.
Earlier this offseason, the Cowboys made trades for linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (Tennessee Titans) and cornerback Kaiir Elam (Buffalo Bills).
The Cowboys have more than $37 million in salary cap space, according to NFLPA figures, although some of that will go toward draft picks, practice squad additions, injury deals and incentives.
Jones' long history of Draft trades
Since Jones bought the Dallas franchise in 1989, the team has made 72 trades. Their last trade involving a first-round pick was in 2021, when they dropped to No. 12 in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, and still got Micah Parsons.
The Cowboys and Parsons are working on a long-term contract extension that would potentially make him the highest-paid non-quarterback player in the NFL.
At the league's annual meeting last month, Jones said he and Parsons met for "five or six hours" and came to an agreement on the length of the contract, the guaranteed money and the total salary.
The contract details were to be negotiated between executive vice president Stephen Jones and Parsons' agent, David Mulugheta.
"Believe me, if we could sign Micah for the amount we wanted, we would do it right now," Stephen Jones said Tuesday. "But right now there's a difference between what we think is the right amount and what he thinks is the right amount."
Parsons has participated in the first part of the Cowboys' preseason program, which began last week. Jerry Jones said that "he is not surprised," as Parsons has been participating and believes it will help him in the long run.
"Here is the assumption that we are going to accomplish something, and he knows, or should know, how important his work is here and how important it is for the leadership to be here working," Jerry Jones said.
"It's very important. It's the main reason why I've taken the attitude I've taken about it. Micah just needs superior leadership, and he will be, or it will be a downer when he gets his expected contract. It will be a downer if he doesn't elevate his leadership," concluded the team's owner and general manager.