Key Takeaways
- The Dallas Cowboys still haven't paid star linebacker Micah Parsons.
- The four-time Pro Bowler expressed his frustration with the front office in a recent appearance on the “Six Feet Under” podcast with The Undertaker.
- Parsons has been extension-eligible since 2023.
Micah Parson is still awaiting a new contract from the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best pass-rushers in the entire NFL leading their defense on a weekly basis in Micah Parsons. However, the former Penn State standout remains without a contract extension as negotiations continue to stall with the front office.
At this point, it appears that Parsons is getting frustrated. He’s been eligible to sign a new deal since 2023, but the Cowboys have yet to reward him with a lucrative payday. Parsons recently appeared on The Undertaker’s “Six Feet Under” podcast and spoke about the lack of a new deal, seemingly calling out Jerry Jones and the ownership group as things continue to drag out:
“We obviously wanted to get it done early, get that relief off our backs,” Parsons said. “But obviously ownership is always going to drag out, making it more complicated than it has to be. Lack of communication. But, god has me. He ain’t done with me yet, so I just keep working, keep going, and when it come, I’ll be ready, but they’re aint going to be no drop off.”
The Cowboys are doing themselves no favors here. Waiting to pay both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb cost them more than it should’ve. Doing the same thing with Parsons isn’t beneficial, either. Especially because the market for edge rushers is looking a lot different nowadays, with Myles Garrett, Maxx Crosby, and Danielle Hunter all getting paid handsomely this offseason. The three are now earning over $30 million per season.
Without a doubt, Parsons deserves that, and more. He’s arguably the best defensive player in the league and has already made four Pro Bowls since coming into the NFL in 2021. The linebacker won Defensive Rookie of the Year in his rookie campaign and has collected a minimum of 12 sacks in every season. The statistics speak for themselves.
On Tuesday, Parsons made it clear – he will get what he wants from the Cowboys:
"I'm just going to get mine no matter what," Parsons said, via PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh. "You know what I mean? Like, the markets change every year. Their salary cap went up, like, another 18% this year. So, if you want to know contracts, all the contracts are based off of percentage. Like, each player, a high-paid player, takes a percentage of the salary cap. So, it's not really the number. It goes off by the salary cap."
Could Parsons Hold Out?
A common occurrence when a player doesn’t get paid is to skip offseason workouts. Both Trey Hendrickson and TJ Watt have done so as they also seek new deals with the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.
Parsons said Dallas told him they were prioritizing Dak and CeeDee extensions last year, but that doesn’t mean he should have to take anything less than what he deserves:
"We wanted to do the contract last year. They're just kind of like, 'We want to do Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb]," Parsons said, via CBS Sports. "You would think, all right, [the Cowboys would] get it done early. There are some guys that are about ready to get re-paid, like Myles [Garrett], and Maxx [Crosby] has gone. So you'd think, let's get ahead of that. … Even now, you've got T.J. [Watt] and Maxx and all these other guys who are getting paid, and you can't want us to take less because you just decided to wait."
For what it’s worth, the All-Pro hasn’t skipped any workouts so far. He’ll more likely than not get his new deal before Week 1, but the Cowboys do not have any valid excuse to make him wait this long. We’re talking about a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball.
