Dallas Cowboys might have an ulterior motive behind Jake Ferguson's new contract and it may soon become clear

When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys signing players to new deals, you have to be just a little bit cynical. That's because the way they operate is complicated and deviates from the norm around the NFL. 

So before the skepticism begins, let me start with a disclaimer: Signing tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year contract extension worth $52 million is a good move. It's smart business and it's a win-win for franchise and player. 

With that being said, it's difficult to look at the deal and not think there's likely an ulterior motive behind the timing of the extension. 

Ferguson's new deal helps the Cowboys' narrative on Micah Parsons 

While Ferguson put ink to paper in Oxnard, California, Micah Parsons and the Cowboys remain engaged in a contract feud that resulted in jabs being exchanged through the media during the first week of training camp. The star defensive end told the media the front office hadn't responded to his agent's attempt to reach out and suggested he'd be okay if the team didn't want him in the long run. 

The big difference between Ferguson and Parsons? One is looking for a top-of-the-market contract and the other, though well-compensated, agreed to a deal that's "friendlier" to the team's salary cap. 

That's not to say Parsons' demands aren't fair. Four years into his career, he's already in a Hall of Fame trajectory. But for many years, the Cowboys' front office have been open to getting deals done with players not in range of becoming the highest-paid at their positions. But if the price tag you're looking for is somewhere below the top of the market, they're willing to oblige. 

For a front office that's used to negotiate through the media, that allows them to do two things: 

1. Double down on their "it takes two to tango" stance on negotiations. If we just paid Ferguson, then clearly we're not the problem! 
2. Insist on the fact that there's only so much "pie" to go around, an analogy for the salary cap that Stephen and Jerry Jones have used for a handful of years. 

Take 2019 as an example

In 2019, while negotiating a long-term deal with then training camp holdout Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys signed linebacker Jaylon Smith to a seven-year deal. 

"Y'all have been badgering my ass to get a contract done for the last three weeks. This is a contract story," said Jerry back then.

"I wouldn't say (plenty of pie is left)," Stephen Jones added.