Parsons said Jones was appreciative of his minicamp attendance; now it's on the owner to pay up after T.J. Watt's historic deal
FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons has been a man of his word throughout his ongoing contract dispute. The four-time Pro Bowler showed up to the entirety of mandatory minicamp, and he even participated in position drills despite the injury risk.
"I think it's important just building the knowledge of the defense, understanding what [defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus] and them are trying to do. Very dynamic scheme, and I'm pretty excited about it after just going through a couple of installs and a couple of plays with the guys," Parsons said at the time.
The 26-year-old is currently set to enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, and Parsons previously told CBS Sports he's looking for a contract with an annual average value over $40 million. The market for edge rushers exploded this offseason: the Raiders' Maxx Crosby signed a three-year, $106.5 million extension ($35.6 million average per year), the Texans' Danielle Hunter signed a one-year, $35.6 million extension, and Garrett's four-year extension lifted him to the $40 million club at four years for $160 million.
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt reset the market again at the position and for non-quarterbacks as a whole on Thursday with a three-year, $123 million extension that gives him a $41 million average per year salary.
"They numbers got nothing to do with mine, and my numbers ain't got nothing to do with them," Parsons said told PennLive's Nick Farabaugh at his football camp in his hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. "Like, I'm younger than Hendrickson. I mean, Hutchinson's coming off an injury. Everyone's circumstances is completely different. Hutch is coming off his third year. Usually guys wait four years. So, it just all depends. Watt, I mean, he's up there with Myles. So, you know, it's different. Everyone's circumstance is different."
It's now time for Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner and general manager, to green light a new deal with his All-Pro. Parsons, whose 330 quarterback pressures co-lead the NFL along with Crosby since Dallas drafted him in 2021, knows he's getting paid one way or the other. He is also the first player since sacks began being tracked as an individual statistic in 1982 to have 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons in the NFL.
Jones can finally stop the contract demands from increasing, but only if he pays up.
"I just work harder. Like, to me, I look at it like if people don't see your value, you don't cry and sit down," Parsons told Farabaugh. "You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that's the difference. Like I go, 'OK, bet,' and I just work."
Waiting has only hurt Dallas in the past. Delaying to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott until hours before kickoff in Week 1 of the 2024 season led to his extension being worth four years and $240 million. That's an average per year salary of $60 million that still leads the entire NFL today.
Taking it slow last offseason with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caused him to holdout all spring and summer before he signed to a four-year, $136 million extension -- the third-richest deal at his position in the league behind only Ja'Marr Chase (four years, $161 million) and Justin Jefferson (four years, $140 million). Parsons would have actually preferred the financial security earlier by signing last year with Prescott and Lamb, believe it or not.
"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 Tuesday. "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."
Despite his frustrations, Parsons' attendance at training camp in Oxnard, California, won't be any different than any of his first four offseasons. He's already rented a house for himself, his children and family for the duration of camp from late July to early August. As for practicing at training camp without a new contract? That's still up in the air.
"We'll see," Parsons said at minicamp. "Time will tell."
What is clear is that Parsons' time to get paid is NOW. Should Jones and Dallas' front office wait any longer, it may cost them All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland and/or Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith down the road. Bland enters 2025 on the last year of his rookie deal, and Smith is on the last cost-controlled season of his rookie deal in 2025 before his fifth-year option salary of $21.272 million kicks in for the 2026 season. The clock is running out.
