FRISCO — Not a more boisterous voice exists on the Dallas Cowboys' roster than Micah Parsons. Shown clearly amid the team's struggles this season, he will never hide his feelings good, bad or ugly.
Rather than pointing fingers or expressing complaint about the Cowboys' regression, Parsons has remained steadfast in his belief of this group. For 10 weeks that seemed like delusion, but a recent glimmer of hope in the form of a two-game win streak has lifted spirits around The Star.
Now that spirit is admirable, but the Cowboys' season will likely come to an end in a month and the focus will turn to the offseason. Priority No. 1 this time around will be arranging a contract extension for Parsons, widely viewed as one of the most impactful defensive players in the game.
Last offseason, the same processes for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb were long and drawn out sagas that distracted from the work toward the team's on-field success. However, Parsons does not want the same sequence of events for himself.
Instead, "Jerry's guy," a self-appointed title he used in a recent interview with ESPN, professed his desire to do "whatever it takes" to remain with the Cowboys until he retires.
“I feel like you see a lot of times ‘highest-paid,’ then we say they don’t have weapons, or they don’t have this,” Parsons said. “So, I would rather just be in the best situation, you know? At that point, I don’t think there’s a big difference between $30 million and $40 million in my eyes.
"My agent might be mad at me I even said that,” Parsons said. “But you know, for me, I mean I’ve already been blessed enough, bro, where, like, I can’t complain too much in life. …
“I’m Jerry’s guy.”
Clearly that is a crippling play in terms of maintaining leverage in negotiations, an ill-advised mistake against the master negotiator Jerry Jones. But could there be more at the table here besides the simple correlation of statistics and dollars?
Parsons' personal qualities are unique to this team and with respect to the Cowboys' other foundational franchise pieces, no other player has conveyed such impassioned feelings about donning the Star on his helmet every Sunday, Monday or Thursday.
Another item to Parsons' advantage is the current leadership that is likely on its way out. The Cowboys may not have the faculties or desire to retain DeMarcus Lawrence and Zack Martin's season-ending surgery announcement hints at his own potential retirement.
Such tenured leaders are not replaced through the draft or free agency. They are homegrown products that you cannot replace. When those same players are among the best on one side of the ball, that carries a little extra weight too.
The time will come for Parsons and the Cowboys to do their business. Hopefully, the feelings of one side are replicated on the other and that forthcoming process will not be a strenuous one.
