NFC East Watch: Cowboys’ Micah Parsons Contract Extension Talks Shelved for Now

The Cowboys’ All-Pro linebacker is next in line for a new contract, but it’s not coming sooner than later.

Jul 31, 2024; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) runs a drill during training camp at the River Ridge Playing Fields in Oxnard, California. / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

With the Dallas Cowboys having opened their 2024 season by finalizing new agreements with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, all eyes are turned toward linebacker Micah Parsons and his chance to sit down at the table and earn the next big payday. 

According to the team, however, fans should file away their expectations for what should be a mega deal for the defensive star until the end of the Cowboys’ 2024 campaign. 

Parsons, the All-Pro pass rusher who has terrorized opposing teams with 41.5 sacks off the edge, is eligible for an extension as he begins the fourth year of his rookie contract, originally signed for four years and $17.1 million in 2021. 

The Cowboys have a club option for the 2025 season, where they can buy into his fifth-year clause before the first-round pick tests the market for the first time in 2026.

Fresh off their season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones told the local radio station, 105.3 The Fan, that conversations with Parsons will not go deep as their guy is focused on the schedule ahead. The franchise will resume those talks once they enter the offseason.

“Right now, it's certainly not anything that's on the table. Micah made a conscientious decision that he thinks he can put together an even better year," Jones said. "I think his play speaks louder than words.

"I think he expects to have a great year under (Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer). And then probably feel comfortable to talk about it then."

The overriding belief behind Parsons’s decision to wait on a new contract seems to be that he wants to post another season of record-setting numbers to sweeten the pot of his potential payout. In his current rookie arrangement, the 25-year-old is earning a $2.9 million base salary with a $2.45 million signing bonus, leaving the Cowboys with a $5.43 million cap hit for the 2024 season.

Parsons has certainly risen up the NFL ranks to deserve a lucrative long-term commitment from the Cowboys, who selected him 12th overall and eight picks before the Giants, who traded down and ended up with wide receiver Kadarius Toney. In 51 games played, Parsons has made 217 total tackles, 41.5 sacks, nine pass deflections, seven forced fumbles, and four fumbles with recovery to be one of the top edge rushers in the league. 

Last season, he had the best stint of his career attacking the quarterback, amassing 103 total pressures, including 14 sacks and 18 hits, to lead the Cowboys defense in pass rushing with a 93.7 PFF grade. Along with his 64 tackles, he finished first in the NFL pass rush win rate category at 35 percent, and was the only edge player with a success rate over 30 percent in his 238 eligible snaps. 

Parsons has been a menace to deal with whenever he squares off against the New York Giants. In six career games against his division foe, the Penn State product has notched three sacks, all in the last four meetings, and 10 total pressures. His ability to beat out blockers with a carousel of swim moves has made him a massive threat for the Giants lowly offensive line to worry about, often ending with little success at slowing down his presence in the pocket. 

While he might feel the timing isn’t right to discuss a new deal, Parsons would be the latest example of a player betting on himself in the hopes of a bigger payday. It’s not like he’s coming into it with a huge chip on his shoulder, but if he finds a way to match or surpass his numbers from 2023, it’ll mean a boatload of cash coming his way and a longer tenure of haunting the other three teams of the NFC East and the rest of the league.

The Cowboys certainly have the financial means to lock him down early, as they did with his teammates in Lamb and Prescott over the past month. For now, it’s all about the product on the field for Parsons before the money, and if all goes well, his performance will take him straight to the negotiating table this spring.

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