The narrative surrounding the Cowboys’ ability to re-sign their own players in a timely matter was magnified last season.
And rightfully so, considering CeeDee Lamb missed all of training camp with a contract holdout and Dak Prescott didn’t sign his deal until minutes before the Week 1 game in Cleveland.
While the Cowboys’ front office has taken plenty of criticism, both Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have tried to point out – respectfully of course – that it’s a two-way street and that the initial asking prices from Dak and CeeDee caused there to be plenty of back-and-forth negotiations that took plenty of time.
All of that is pointed out now as the Cowboys have turned their attentions to signing Micah Parsons to a long-term contract, something both sides have said is a priority for this offseason. And let’s not forget, the Cowboys did prevent Osa Odighizuwa from getting to free agency next week by signing him to a four-year, $80 million deal last week.
Parsons is on the fifth-year option of his deal, awarded to first-round picks. The Cowboys issued the option for Parsons, which stands at $24.007 million for this season.
However, the Cowboys could give Parsons a new deal, which would likely lower his 2025 salary cap as much as $11-12 million.
Stephen Jones categorized the talks with Micah as “preliminary” last week when asked about where things stand with Micah. He was then asked if the goal is to get him done early, meaning before the start of free agency next week.
“That’s always the goal. The goal was to get CeeDee done early,” Jones said with a smile. “The goal is to get it done when you can get it.”
Just like with Lamb and Prescott, other contacts for players at similar positions will always affect the negotiations. In Parsons’ case, the Raiders recently gave Maxx Crosby a three-year, $106 million extension with $53 million guaranteed.
Crosby is now the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL at $35.5 million per season, ahead of Justin Jefferson ($35 million), Nick Bosa ($34.2M) and Lamb ($34M).
While Parsons has said his overall goal is to get a deal done, it’s likely he will at least want to be in that group, if not at the top.
In his first four years, Parsons has reached double-digit sacks in every season, including 2024 when he finished with 12.5 despite missing four games with an ankle injury.
And of course, Parsons isn’t the only player in line for a new deal as the Cowboys have over 20 unrestricted free agents. When asked about players such as Rico Dowdle and Jourdan Lewis getting new deals, Stephen Jones was non-committal, especially not trying to give away any strategy.
“You never know until you get it done. We’re obviously talking to some of those you mentioned – not all of them,” Jones said. “Some of them will go to the market and see the situation. Some guys were willing and are working to get deals done.”
But while he might not be the next one to sign, it’s clear Parsons is right at the top of the list.
