The Dallas Cowboys cost themselves tens of millions of dollars last offseason by waiting until the last minute to hand mega-deals to quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. And it looks like they’re going to do the exact same thing with the third pillar of their team, edge rusher Micah Parsons.
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Parsons has made a real name for himself through four years in the league. Most would place him in the top five where edge rushers are concerned. And that means he’s essentially a top-five defensive player overall. But he’s still on his rookie deal, and after the $25 million team option in 2025, he could leave for free in 2026.
Not to mention that since Parsons expressed a desire for a new deal, several other top pass rushers have signed on the dotted line. Myles Garrett set the pace with a four-year, $160 million deal, followed shortly after by Maxx Crosby‘s three-year, $106.5 million pact. Parsons is four years younger than Garrett and can reasonably expect to be viewed as a higher value player than Crosby. And yet, he continues to wait, even with T.J. Watt’s deal looming, per Clarence Hill.
“According to Parsons, the deal that [TJ] Watt is seeking is more than what he and Jones talked about. And he said he has seen the number. Therefore, his deal is going to go up, which means the #Cowboys are going to be paying more.”
Every top player these days wants the record-breaking deal. That’s why paying early pays dividends. Before the Garrett and Crosby deals, Parsons probably couldn’t have asked for more than $40 million a year. Now, he will be asking for more. And if Watt signs a record-setting deal, we could be talking about an AAV at or north of $45 million. That’s a lot of wasted cash on procrastination.
And there’s no doubt Parsons deserves it either, which makes the delay all the more strange. He has missed just five games in four years, showing durability. He has also been named a Pro Bowler in all four years, a First-Team All-Pro in two, and a Second-Team All-Pro in one. His 52.5 sacks and 63 TFLs since entering the league in 2021 both rank fifth.
As has been the case nearly every offseason over the last three decades, Cowboys fans seem fed up. “This is why they can’t build a contender, great players – drag it out, lose key pieces for success, put pressure on ‘highest paid players’ to perform, blame players for losing games, America’s team,” complained one Redditor.
“Why sign someone months ahead when you can wait for the day before the first game?” another joked. Others acknowledged the one constant across the last 30 years of despair: owner and GM Jerry Jones. “That’s Jerry’s MO,” said one fan. “Yep. Just another summer in Jerryworld,” replied another.
As he proclaimed he would, Micah Parsons has been at mandatory minicamp despite his lack of a contract. Other guys in his position, like T.J. Watt, Trey Hendrickson, and Shemar Stewart (all in the AFC North, strangely) are skipping out on these mandatory practices as they angle for new deals.
One would think that Parsons’ show of good faith would mean Jerry Jones quits sitting on his hands here. But history would suggest otherwise.
