The biggest storyline for the Dallas Cowboys last offseason was the eventual extensions given to quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. This offseason, it's Micah Parsons' turn.
Parsons is entering his fifth season with the Cowboys and is set to make just over $24 million on his fifth-year rookie option. It would be shocking if Parsons plays in 2025 without the guarantee of a future contract, which makes these extension talks ever the more important for the Cowboys.
Parsons isn't the only elite pass rusher who needed a new deal this offseason. After weeks of friction caused by a surprising trade request, Myles Garrett signed a contract extension with the Cleveland Browns that pays him $40 million a season and has $123 million guaranteed.
Garrett becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league while the Cowboys received their price tag for a Parsons extension. And of course, Jerry Jones cost himself million of dollars by stringing Parsons along.
Myles Garrett extension gives Cowboys the price tag to extend Micah Parsons
Good for Micah Parsons, bad for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. In classic Cowboys fashion, Jones waited too long to get a deal done and is going to pay more as a result.
Parsons is the best edge rusher in the sport and he is only going to sign a deal that resets the market for the new big contract. This happens at every position in the sport and Parsons is no different. Garrett is getting $40 million a year so the starting price for Parsons is $41 million a year.
If the Cowboys would have gotten this deal done a year ago, which the team could have, then Dallas would have just needed to beat Nick Bosa's contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Instead of the starting price being $41 million a year, it would have been $35 million. That is a difference of $30 million over the course of a five-year deal.
The hope now is that Jones does not balk at the high price tag for Parsons. Extending Parsons is a no-brainer to every Cowboys fan in the world but it is always impossible to predict what exactly Jones is going to do.
Dallas committed big-time money to Prescott and Lamb last offseason and were rewarded with a disappointing 2024 season. While that wasn't directly Prescott and Lamb's fault, this at least opens the door for Jones to question if a Parsons deal is worth it.
The Cowboys would get an absolute haul if the team traded Parsons instead of extending him, which may be intriguing for an owner who tries to be as cost-effective as possible.
Hopefully, talks never reach that point and the Cowboys pay Parsons the $41+ million per year that he has earned.
