WAKE UP! ON ETBLITZ | Big day on ol’ ETB: players of the Year announced today; Prescott says it’s time to bring the trophy home

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Whataburger / ETB honors today

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say right off the bat this reminder that our Whataburger / ETBlitz.com Players of the Year for the 2024-25 school year will be on the site later today. I’m going to be completely, totally honest and tell you this has been a labor of love – but it’s been labor.

There’s been so much material for us to go back through, and we did not limit it to six or seven boys and six or seven girls. We opened it up to every single athlete in the ETB coverage area, all 12 of our area high schools, which I thought was only fair. Then we narrowed it down to the nominees we released publicly in the two stories on Saturday. Here’s a link to the boys story: YOU’RE GONNA DO WHAT?! | Nominees for boys Whataburger / ETB Player of the Year Award. Here’s a link to the girls story: etblitz.com/finally-girls-nominees-announced-for-whataburger-etb-player-of-the-year-award/.

Our panel, with an odd number of people, voted on their top five, and on a points system, it came down to the results we’ll bring to you this afternoon. I had originally said 3 p.m. I hope to have everything ready by then. This has been a lot of work, and the truth is, there are so many of them who really deserve these two awards. You’ll see more of what I mean in the story later today.

Parsons-Cowboys contract update

Um, did you read what Dallas Cowboys pass-rushing specialist Micah Parsons said earlier this week?

Parsons, who’s about to enter the last season of his contract, is negotiating a new deal with the team, obviously to keep him here beyond this year. And he was at the mandatory mini-camp this past week, although he didn’t participate, according to Parsons and his representation, because of tightness in his back.

But he did tell media members that the delay in signing a deal was going to prove costly financially for the Cowboys.

“It’s going to cost them more,” Parsons said.

According to Charlean Williams of Pro Football Talk, both Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed to longtime Dallas beat-writer Clarence Hill that a handshake deal was in place in March, but Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, hasn’t seen any progression from that point.

Many expect Parsons to become the NFL’s highest-paid player that’s not a quarterback. Right now, that’s Cincinnati receiver Ja’Marr Chase – he of the $40.25 million-a-year deal.

So, with Dak Prescott pulling in $60 million a year, and receiver CeeDee Lamb making $23 million a year, if Parsons tops the $40M a year mark – when do Cowboys fans see results on the field?

For Prescott’s part, it’s time to get it done.

“Yeah, I want to win a championship,” Prescott told members of the media at the end of mini-camp Thursday, at The Star in Frisco. “The legacy, the things, whatever comes after I finish playing will take care of itself. I want to win a championship. Be damned if it’s just for my legacy, or if it’s for this team, for my personal being, for my sanity. Yeah, the legacy will take care of itself. I have to stay where my feet are.”

The last time the Cowboys hoisted a Lombardi Trophy was after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17, on January 28, 1996, in Tempe, Arizona, at Sun Devil Stadium. It was the third and final Super Bowl win for the “Triplets” version of the Cowboys: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin.

And that was 29 years ago – to be more precise, 10,731 days ago. The Cowboys have made the playoffs a handful of times since then, but haven’t been back to the NFC Championship Game since that time. First-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer will be the seventh head coach since that game in Tempe.

Since Prescott took over as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback – he was drafted in 2016, and shortly after that became the starter when Tony Romo retired – he’s guided the Cowboys to the playoffs in five seasons. One of those seasons, the Cowboys had the best record in the NFC.

Dallas has a 2-5 record in the playoffs with Dak as the starter.

It’s been a long 29 years. Maybe Schotty will be the one to get it done.

Training camp begins in Oxnard, Calif., on July 22.