Major financial news surrounding America’s Team this week, even though the players are out on summer vacation. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were sold for a record amount. That development doesn’t change the Cowboys’ standing as the most valuable sports team on the planet- in fact, it just pushed their worth even higher. We’ll explain. And coincidentally, the team’s world-famous cheerleaders are getting a massive pay raise, going from an embarrassingly low wage that brought a lawsuit just a few years ago to an amount that one current member called “life-changing.”
Meanwhile, we’ve got roster news on two defensive additions (and the two players who were cut to make room), big-picture background on why Donovan Ezeiruaku remains unsigned, a theory on why Jerry Jones isn’t rushing to ink Micah Parsons to a market-setting deal, and a fascinating look back at the Cowboys trailblazer who changed the locker room… and helped transform a city as we commemorate Juneteenth.
Where Cowboys rank among most valuable franchises after Lakers’ $10B sale :: SI.com
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The NBA’s Lakers were estimated to be worth $8.07 billion at the time of their sale Wednesday for a record $10 billion. The Cowboys remain the most valuable franchise in sports, though, with a valuation of $10.32 billion as of February. The Lakers’ eye-popping price tag simply means Jerry Jones could now ask for A LOT more… if, of course, he were of a mind to sell.
Cowboys likely delaying this $40 million annual investment for a reason :: Cowboys Wire
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Jerry Jones’s stalling to do a deal with Micah Parsons isn’t just stubbornness. Every day a dollar stays in the owner’s portfolio is a potential for serious profit. Estimates calculate that an investment of $40 million (Parsons’s expected annual payday) stands to make an average of 10% in annual profit. That equates to 0.83% profit per month and a $332,000 monthly return.
Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders say they will receive 400% pay raise next season :: Dallas Morning News
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The raise was revealed during Season 2 of the Netflix series America’s Sweethearts. The team settled one pay dispute in 2019, with the squad’s gameday pay jumping from $200 to $400. This bump is four times that. With most members juggling several jobs to make ends meet, one cheerleader described the raise as “life-changing.”
Cowboys sign former 4th-round draft picks at DT, CB; waive 2 from roster to make room :: Cowboys Wire
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All-UFL defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey will make his return to the NFL after starting in Cleveland in 2022. Cornerback Robert Rochell played in 28 games for the Rams and 23 for the Packers. Justin Rogers and Luq Barcoo were waived to make room for them on the Dallas roster.
Agent’s Take: What is holding up NFL Draft second-rounders from signing rookie deals? :: CBS Sports
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Only 36 drafted players remain unsigned, but an overwhelming 30 of them- including Cowboys defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku- are second-rounders. Agent Joel Corry says the stalemate is because of QB Tyler Shough, who was picked 40th overall. Shough is insisting on a fully guaranteed contract from the Saints, and that possibility has agents for many of the unsigned picks around him (Ezeiruaku was 44th) waiting to see if they can get better deals as a result.
2 veteran cut candidates who would still play for Cowboys in 2025 :: Cowboys Wire
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Don’t be surprised if Will Grier and CJ Goodwin are both let go following the Cowboys’ preseason finale, only to be brought back. Grier could be on the practice squad and then elevated for the first three weeks of the season- to protect Joe Milton’s spot on the roster and still keep a veteran backup handy. The Cowboys may make a gentleman’s agreement with special-teams ace Goodwin to bring him back after Week 1, a roster-shuffle trick they’ve done with him before.
Cowboys mailbag: Dak Prescott optimism? Trevon Diggs’ future? Summer standouts? :: The Athletic
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This look at the current state of the Cowboys notes that the team could offload Trevon Diggs during the next offseason and carry a dead cap hit of just under $6 million in 2026, saving more than $12.5 million. Or they could designate him a post-June 1 release and save $15.5 million… and spread the dead cap over 2026 and 2027 at just under $3 million each year. Unless there’s a huge bounceback from Diggs in 2025, a parting of the ways is certainly a possibility, given those figures.
Analyst: ‘Doing the Draft Show in October’ if Cowboys don’t correct this Prescott issue :: Cowboys Wire
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Ex-scout Bryan Broaddus believes the Cowboys’ 2025 season could come to an early end if Brian Schottenheimer demands that his offensive vision be executed over and above what the quarterback actually sees on the field. The implication, of course, is that what doomed the Cowboys last season under Mike McCarthy.
Cowboys risk losing draft picks if they play $3 million bargains too much :: Cowboys Wire
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Keep an eye on the snap counts for Javonte Williams and Solomon Thomas this year. If either plays enough to qualify as compensatory free agents, they risk cancelling out first a sixth-round-, and then a fifth-round draft pick. The Cowboys could, however, pick up extra seventh-round help if Rico Dowdle and Cooper Rush play more than expected for their new teams. Dallas will already get comp picks for the losses of Jourdan Lewis, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Chauncey Golston.
Dallas Cowboys veterans and rookies scheduled to report to training camp on July 21st :: Blogging the Boys
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Cowboys veteran and rookies alike will report to Oxnard, Calif. on July 21. The rest of the training camp schedule has yet to be announced, but the team will have a joint practice with the Rams on Aug. 5.
$34 million mercenary among 3 Cowboys to make ESPN’s quarter-century 53-man roster :: Cowboys Wire
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Wide receiver Terrell Owens, right guard Zack Martin, and edge rusher DeMarcus Ware were all named to the network’s All-Quarter Century Team. Collectively, the three ex-Cowboys had 21 All-Pro nods.
This boxer trains Cowboys, NFL stars. Now, he’s joining an upstart boxing league :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
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Players like Micah Parsons and Amari Cooper have trained with Tony Mack at his boxing gym in Allen, Tex. Now Mack will coach the Dallas Enforcers in the rising Team Combat League. The 24-boxer team, with a 4-1 record, is currently in second place in the 12-team league.
Pettis Norman’s life in football :: Dallas Cowboys YouTube
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In commemoration of Juneteenth, check out the contributions that the former tight end made in advocating for equal treatment within the Cowboys locker room during the segregated ’60s. The changes Norman helped usher in with the team began to alter perspectives of Dallas society at large.
The Cowboys celebrate freedom on Juneteenth :: Dallas Cowboys
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys Headlines: Lakers sale good news for Jerry Jones; cheerleaders get huge pay raise
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
