FRISCO — The NFL Draft has provided a temporary albeit enticing distraction from the main priority of the Dallas Cowboys offseason.

Micah Parsons is due a contract extension, a reality that has awaited his team for over a year now.

Nonetheless, progress on the completion of this deal seems to be on a slow burn for the time being. Parsons and Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones had an agreement in principle just weeks ago, but Dallas’ decision to bypass Parsons’ agent on several conversations made for a significant roadblock.

The Cowboys have become synonymous with waiting until the eleventh hour on these deals.

Last offseason, CeeDee Lamb did not get his extension done until the Monday after the preseason ended and Dak Prescott put pen to paper hours before the regular season kicked off.

Given the progress already established, the hope is that this process does not drag on that long. While fans wait on answers on that front, Parsons has not wasted time getting back to work.

Parsons showed up this week for the team’s first day of voluntary workouts and was seen getting in some extra work with his offseason coach Lance Deane.

He shared some video of his workouts to sicial media.

The opinions were mixed on whether or not Parsons had an obligation to show his face at The Star this week given the contract situation.

Parsons ended the debate and has shown he is fully committed to emerging in the locker room.

The team and Parsons alike expect him to be the next leader which means having a year-round presence on the field and off.

The Cowboys celebrated one of their best leaders in recent history on Wednesday with Tyron Smith’s retirement press conference.

Parsons was among those in attendance.

If ever there could be a well timed reminder of his role for the franchise moving forward, that would be it.

Once the Cowboys sort through the upcoming draft and have a real framework for the entirety of their 2025 roster, then maybe the extension talks pick back up.

Regardless, Parsons is sending a amesasge that he is here to work and compete.