If there’s one thing Jerry Jones loves more than postgame media scrums, it’s a drawn-out contract negotiation. He needlessly took months to ink Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to long-term deals ahead of the 2024 campaign. Now, he’s working on his second offseason, delaying the inevitable with Micah Parsons.
In four years as a Cowboy, Parsons has been everything a team could ask him to be. He’s the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year, a four-time Pro-Bowler, and three-time All-Pro. He finished top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting each of his first three seasons. He even slotted eighth in the 2022 MVP race.
The gist? When you land a player of Parsons’ caliber, you don’t let them go. So it’s not surprising that Cam Newton doesn’t care what Parsons is asking for in his potential extension. On the latest episode of his 4th&1 podcast, he noted Parsons is worthy of becoming the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player.
“Whether he is top five, top six, top two, top 12, top 20, I don’t think nobody will be completely blown away in disbelief if Micah Parsons makes the most money over any defender in the NFL. Bro, he’s earned it. And it’s only a matter of time [until it comes].”
Newton’s comments came after FOX Sports personality Colin Cowherd claimed Parsons isn’t one of the league’s best edge defenders/defensive linemen. Cowherd pointed to Jared Verse, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, Chris Jones, and Maxx Crosby as his top players in that category.
Cowherd labeling Parsons as inconsistent feels disingenuous. The now fifth-year pro recorded 13, 13.5, and 14 sacks, respectively, in his first three seasons. Despite missing four games last year – the first time he ever missed action due to injury – he added 12 more to his career total. And in contrast to Cowherd’s belief, he can wreck a game when not lined up on the edge.
If you extrapolate Parsons’ 2024 production in 13 games over 17 contests, his numbers would have been career-highs or right in line with career norms. While he may never reach the incredible sack numbers of Garrett, he’s someone Dallas can rely upon game in and game out. Because of that, he’s plenty deserving of the massive payday he’ll receive in the near future.
