When Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke to reporters at a press conference earlier this week, he said the team would meet to discuss picking up linebacker Leighton Vander Esch’s fifth-year option after the draft.
The timing suggested that the draft would have some bearing on the call they make on guaranteeing Vander Esch a $9.145 million salary in 2022. The Cowboys chose Micah Parsons with the 12th pick, which would seem to point toward declining the option but Jones said he doesn’t see the two things as related.
“I don’t think it affects it,” Jones said, via the team’s website. “We’ll make a decision on Leighton -- we’ll make that decision when the time comes. We’ve got some discussions to have on that, period.”
If the Parsons pick doesn’t affect the decision, it shouldn’t be a terribly long discussion as the Cowboys have known Vander Esch’s production, salary, and injury history for some time.