The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for an explosive season with the Dak Prescott – CeeDee Lamb – George Pickens combo. And with that mission in mind, the roster was looking single-mindedly towards the start of the training camps. With Brian Schottenheimer’s first stint as the HC, all eyes are on Dallas right now. While the team’s out enjoying their summer break, the dates for the camps are now officially set in stone.

It’s not just the QB-WR(s) combo that has gathered the attention this offseason. Schotty has particularly been impressed by the performance of TE Brevyn Spann-Ford through the OTAs and minicamps. Even the new roster addition – cornerback Kaiir Elam – has been turning heads in the absence of Trevon Diggs and Shavon Ravel recovering from knee-injuries. And the fandom will get to see all the action unfold before their eyes in the training camps now.

As per a post on X by John Machota, the Cowboys have just released the schedule for their 2025 training camp to be held in Oxnard. The camp will run from July 20th all the way through August 14th. In between the dates, the team will also be playing the Rams on August 9th at the SoFi Stadium. With two more camp sessions after that on the 12th and 13th, the team will break for two days before facing the Ravens on August 16th. There’s also the August 22nd matchup against the Falcons to look forward to.

Starting with an address by Brian Schottenheimer, the first rounds of open practice will kick off from 11:45 a.m., 22nd July. The Cowboys will notably make their 18th appearance at the River Ridge Playing fields for the training camp. The sessions will be open to early birds. As the schedule release notes, “General admission is free and open to the public. Entry is available on a first come, first served basis.” On July 25th, there’s even going to be electrifying performances by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. Following which the Fan Night will also include “trivia, contests, giveaways, and more!”

With the release of this schedule, we can almost see the new season peeking from behind August. But for the Cowboys, this means another trouble needs to be addressed first. With the contract extension talks with Micah Parsons still nowhere near completion, tensions are running high in Dallas.

The Micah Parsons contract dilemma

“What on earth has happened to the world? It’s unbelievable that a single chocolate-covered strawberry costs four dollars.” With these words, Micah Parsons had tweeted his frustrations over rising prices everywhere. But it wasn’t just about the strawberry. The underlying message was about the contract stalemate he faces with Jerry Jones. Parsons had notably sat out the OTAs, but showed up for the minicamps. He’s all-in for the team, even Schotty is in his corner as he’s notably said, “I know this is weird for everybody, but look, you’re handling everything the right way, bro… This thing is going to get worked out.” But how long before the deal gets done?

If the front office keeps dragging this out, the price tag is only going to rise. Myles Garrett stands at the top of the defensive players’ market right now. For a while, it looked like Parsons would get the same number for himself. But analysts and insiders now believe, with Parsons’ Pro-Bowl pedigree, he could stand at the top once the deal is done. As Cowboys insider Mike Fisher noted recently, “It’s inevitable and it’s almost inarguable. Micah is going to sign the richest-ever non-QB contract in NFL history.” As Fisher sees it, the number now will be much bigger than $40 million a year. A deal crossing $200 million for five-years, that’s the projection right now.

That $40 million a year is already in the rearview. It’s not between $45 – $50 million a year. If the delay continues, we may be looking at an even higher number by the time the season rolls around. How long do you think it will be before Parsons’ name is on a newly minted dotted line? And what will the number on that contract be?