FRISCO – Here we go again?
The Dallas Cowboys notoriously have used a strategy of paying their stars at the last second. Just last season, for example, receiver CeeDee Lamb held out of the team’s offseason program and training camp before getting a new contract. And quarterback Dak Prescott literally signed his new $60-million-per-season extension the weekend of the season opener in September.
Will they choose the same better-late-than-never path with linebacker Micah Parsons?
Depending on what day – or what hour – it is, the ubiquitous Parsons may be committing to be a Cowboy “for life” or joking about leaving to play for the Kansas City Chiefs.
He apparently has had recent contract conversations – not negotiations, but talks – with owner Jerry Jones and … so far, so good.
“Oh, it’s good. It was good,” Parsons said this week. “I really have a lot of respect for Jerry. We have great conversations all the time. There’s definitely a plan in place, but we’ll just see how everything plays out. There’s been no progress yet, but I’m pretty confident that something will happen, so we’ll see.”
Parsons is entering the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, and is woefully underpaid after making All-Pro and the Pro Bowl in each of his first seasons. On his current deal he’s scheduled to make around $3 million in 2025. For perspective, Cleveland Browns’ star pass-rusher Myles Garrett will make $25 million.
“I don’t think anyone’s ever underestimated Micah’s value in terms of what he can bring,” Cowboys’ vice president Stephen Jones told Yahoo!. “I don’t want to get into the details of early, late, when all that comes. Too early for any of that, but obviously Micah is an important part of what we’re about.”
Rather than setting the market, Jerry and Stephen prefer to “let some leaves fall” and instead respond to those numbers when negotiating with their stars.
Doesn’t sound like Parsons is getting his extension today. The Cowboys’ history suggests tomorrow is a ways down the road as well.
