The Dallas Cowboys have two of the best teams in football as division rivals.
There are the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles, of course. And then there are the Washington Commanders, coming off a massive turnaround season and looking like a problem for the foreseeable future with Jayden Daniels at quarterback.
That puts every NFC East move under the microscope in these big markets, because there isn't a ton of margin for error.
The Cowboys fell further behind the 8-ball on Monday. That's because the Commanders and Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year, $96 million contract extension.
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Before that deal was signed, Washington and Dallas were in similar boats.
McLaurin and Cowboys superstar Micah Parsons both wanted new deals heading into the final seasons of their contracts. Both had requested trades, too.
They, along with Bengals star Trey Hendrickson, had dominated the August headlines as three players who were holding-in at training camps, not practicing in hopes of getting huge raises.
At least the Cowboys had a similar situation in their own division. It may have slightly lessened the negative feelings around not getting a deal done with Parsons.
Now, though, Dallas and owner Jerry Jones are standing out in the open with all NFC East eyes on them.
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The Commanders are ready to shoot for the division title and beyond. They have their WR1 on board to pair with Daniels.
The Cowboys may have already been the third-best team in the division, but without Parsons? The gap is wider.
And now they're the only one of the trio that is still shorthanded.
McLaurin's contract should push the Cowboys to act quickly. Will it, though? That's much less certain.
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