The Dallas Cowboys grabbed headlines — all of the headlines — with a blockbuster trade for Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens on May 7. For a few days, maybe, it obfuscated the biggest issue with the franchise moving forward.
That would be a lack of a long-term contract for the team’s best player and arguably the NFL’s best defensive player in edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is headed into his fifth season without a long term deal.
According to All City DLLS reporter Clarence Hill, it’s a problem with no solution in sight.
“Per source, there has been no movement forward with the Cowboys and Mulugheta on a Parsons deal,” Hill wrote on May 7 on his official X account.
While Parsons has been a willing participant in Cowboys offseason workouts, there have been some contentious moments in his pursuit of what should be a record setting contract for a defensive player. It’s a deal that could exceed the 4-year, $160 million contract signed by Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett on March 9.
From The Dallas Morning News: “Jones and (David) Mulugheta, the man who represents Parsons, have not met. Even though Mulugheta is regarded as one of the league’s more respected power brokers, Jones ruffled some feathers at the NFL’s annual meetings when he made a point — more than once — of saying he doesn’t even know the name of Parsons’ agent.”
Parsons is in the final season of his rookie contract after the Cowboys picked up his fifth year extension, which will pay him $24 million in 2025 and bring his career earnings to approximately $41 million.
One of Greatest Starts to Career in NFL History
Few players in NFL history have started their careers like Parsons.
After being selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. In his first 4 seasons, he’s a 3-time NFL All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowler.
Parsons had 12.0 sacks in 2024 despite missing a career high 4 games and despite the Cowboys stumbling to a 7-10 record. He also became just the sixth player to break 50 sacks in their first 4 seasons since the NFL began tracking sacks in 1983.
Headed into 2025, Parsons has 52.5 career sacks. Pro Football Hall of Fame Bruce Smith holds the NFL career record with 200.0 sacks.
“Parsons is in an exclusive club that includes four Hall of Famers — Reggie White, Derrick Thomas, DeMarcus Ware and Dwight Freeney — and a future Hall of Famer in three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt,” CBS Sports NFL Writer Garrett Podell wrote after Parsons’ 50th sack in December 2024.
Cowboys Always Tread Water on Big Money Deals
The Cowboys like to wait, wait and wait some more when it comes to their big money deals. It’s a tactic that almost always ends up costing them more money in the long run.
For example, the Cowboys could have granted a contract extension to quarterback Dak Prescott before the 2023 season, which would have cost them approximately $50 million per year. They waited until before the 2024 season, the market changed, and Prescott ended up with $60 million per year.
With All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the Cowboys could have done a deal before the 2023 season that would have cost them in the neighborhood of $30 million per year. The contract Lamb signed in August 2024 ended up at $34 million per year.
