Cowboys Could’ve Saved $30 Million Amid Micah Parsons Contract Negotiations

It’s only fair to continue to wonder what Jerry Jones is doing with the Dallas Cowboys and the Micah Parsons situation. Parsons is arguably the best player in the NFL, and Jones has to understand that there’s a price tag that comes with that. 

He can act like he doesn’t, or try to make snarky comments to Parsons and his agency, but the truth is the truth. If the Cowboys don’t want to pay him, when the time comes, Parsons will get the biggest deal in NFL history for a non-QB from another team, barring anything happening. 

Cowboys’ History of Prolonged Contract Negotiations

CBS Sports’ John Breech recently had a great article about the Dallas Cowboys and what they’ve done in the past. He noted that Jones has continued to fail in these contract negotiations. He added that with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, because they waited until the last second, some of their players got way more expensive deals than they should’ve. That includes Prescott, who was given a record-setting deal at the time for $240 million. 

“With Lamb and Prescott, the Cowboys essentially waited until the last second to get a deal done, and in Prescott’s case, it really was the last second: The Cowboys quarterback was given a record-setting four-year, $240 million extension just HOURS before the team’s regular-season opener in September 2024,” he wrote. 

How the Cowboys Should’ve Handled the Situation

When he started talking about Parsons, it just goes to show how poorly the Dallas Cowboys have handled this situation. Not only would they have had an opportunity to potentially sign him for $35 million AAV, but now the Cowboys could be looking at a deal that almost reaches $50 million AAV because of contracts others have signed. 

The NFL is big on what the last player got, and given Parsons is as good as he is, it’s only fair to wonder if he’s going to completely break the market. 

“Contract he might get from the Cowboys: Parsons is expected to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, so if he does rescind his trade request and sign a new deal, it’s a near certainty the contract will pay him at least $42 million per year (TJ Watt is currently the highest-paid non-QB at $41 million per year). 

“What the Cowboys should have done: Parsons has been eligible for an extension since the end of the 2023 season. From January 2024 through January 2025, the numbers didn’t really change on what an offer might have looked like. During most of that span, the highest-paid non-quarterback was Nick Bosa, who was making an average of $34 million per year. Justin Jefferson then topped it in June 2024 with a deal worth $35 million per year. That’s the number the Cowboys needed to beat. Maxx Crosby topped that number in early March 2025 with a three-year extension that’s worth an average of $35.5 million per year,” he added.

As Breech touched on, Parsons getting a much bigger deal now seems likely, even if it means that he ties someone like Myles Garrett or Trey Hendrickson, whenever that deal happens. However, from Jones’ perspective, the last thing he should want to continue to do is wait until these deals are done. 

If he pays players what they’re looking for early on, he’d actually make out better in the long run.