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The Dallas Cowboys began their voluntary minicamp Monday facing one major question. Would star defender Micah Parsons be in attendance for the event?
New head coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed in the weeks leading up to the event that he expected the top pass rusher to be at voluntary minicamp. Schottenheimer's belief echoed what Parsons had told reporters about his offseason workout plans in December.
"I've got to be around the guys," Parsons said, per Reuters. "There's going to be rookies, there's going to be free agents – guys that come here – you don't know who's going to be there, so there's a chemistry part and people know what you can do, but people also got to see it from a leader aspect. So I still gotta be there for that part."
That said, Parsons still hasn't agreed to a lucrative, long-term extension with the Cowboys. That left many wondering whether he would skip the voluntary workout in an effort to put some pressure on Dallas.
Instead, Parsons stuck to his plan. It appears he will continue to attend Dallas' key events as he helps usher in the Schottenheimer era after spending his first four seasons playing for Mike McCarthy.
Parsons' presence will also buy him some goodwill as he attempts to negotiate a big-money deal with the Cowboys. What could the 25-year-old's next deal look like? Here's a breakdown of what Parsons could make.
NFL MOCK DRAFT 2025: Could Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart bring QB chaos?
Parsons has been one of the NFL's most productive pass rushers since the Cowboys selected him 11th overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
Parsons has never logged fewer than 12 sacks in a single season and ranks fifth-league wide in sacks since the 2021 NFL season. Below is a look at the company he is keeping:
Parsons won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and has been named an All-Pro first teamer twice in four seasons. He has been graded sixth or better by Pro Football Focus in each of his four NFL seasons, establishing himself as an elite, consistent pass rushing threat.
The Dallas Morning News reported in March that Parsons wants to become the first defensive player to ever receive a $200 million contract. He could achieve that goal given his high-end talent and consistency.
Below is a projection of what Parsons' eventual contract extension could look like.
Parsons should benefit greatly in negotiations from the four-year, $160 million contract Myles Garrett signed with the Cleveland Browns. The deal, which convinced Garrett to remain in Cleveland after he originally requested a trade, had the highest AAV for a defensive player in NFL history.
Parsons should be poised to beat that AAV. Why? He turns just 26 in May while Garrett will turn 30 at the tail end of the 2025 NFL season. Parsons will be able to argue that since he's younger and has comparable production to Garrett, he should get greater value than his star edge rushing counterpart.
Parsons may not be as hellbent on blowing Garrett's AAV out of the water as he may be about getting a $200 million deal. Achieving the latter will require him to either convince the Cowboys to give him a deal worth $50 million in AAV (unlikely) or give him a five-year deal with an AAV identical or slightly greater than that of Garrett (more likely).
A five-year deal would take Parsons through the 2030 season. It would also allow him to potentially hit free agency ahead of his age-32 season.
The only question about this deal is whether Dallas would be willing to finance it. The good news for Parsons? The Cowboys have typically been more willing to give their own top players lucrative contract extensions in recent seasons rather than spend big money on free agents.
Add in that Jerry Jones and Co. just made Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history with a $60 million AAV and opening the wallet to pay Parsons, the team's best defensive player, seems like a strong possibility.
2025 NFL DRAFT: 10 biggest boom-or-bust prospects
Below is a look at the NFL's current highest-paid defenders as Parsons prepares to reset the market.
All numbers per Spotrac.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Micah Parsons contract: How much could extension net Cowboys EDGE?
Continue reading...
New head coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed in the weeks leading up to the event that he expected the top pass rusher to be at voluntary minicamp. Schottenheimer's belief echoed what Parsons had told reporters about his offseason workout plans in December.
"I've got to be around the guys," Parsons said, per Reuters. "There's going to be rookies, there's going to be free agents – guys that come here – you don't know who's going to be there, so there's a chemistry part and people know what you can do, but people also got to see it from a leader aspect. So I still gotta be there for that part."
That said, Parsons still hasn't agreed to a lucrative, long-term extension with the Cowboys. That left many wondering whether he would skip the voluntary workout in an effort to put some pressure on Dallas.
Instead, Parsons stuck to his plan. It appears he will continue to attend Dallas' key events as he helps usher in the Schottenheimer era after spending his first four seasons playing for Mike McCarthy.
Parsons' presence will also buy him some goodwill as he attempts to negotiate a big-money deal with the Cowboys. What could the 25-year-old's next deal look like? Here's a breakdown of what Parsons could make.
NFL MOCK DRAFT 2025: Could Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart bring QB chaos?
Micah Parsons stats
Parsons has been one of the NFL's most productive pass rushers since the Cowboys selected him 11th overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
Parsons has never logged fewer than 12 sacks in a single season and ranks fifth-league wide in sacks since the 2021 NFL season. Below is a look at the company he is keeping:
- Myles Garrett, Browns: 60
- T.J. Watt, Steelers: 58.5
- Trey Hendrickson, Bengals: 57
- Nick Bosa, 49ers: 53.5
- Micah Parsons, Cowboys: 52.5
Parsons won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and has been named an All-Pro first teamer twice in four seasons. He has been graded sixth or better by Pro Football Focus in each of his four NFL seasons, establishing himself as an elite, consistent pass rushing threat.
Micah Parsons contract projection
The Dallas Morning News reported in March that Parsons wants to become the first defensive player to ever receive a $200 million contract. He could achieve that goal given his high-end talent and consistency.
Below is a projection of what Parsons' eventual contract extension could look like.
- Term: 5 years
- Total value: $201 million
- Average annual value (AAV): $40.2 million
- Guaranteed money: $125 million
Parsons should benefit greatly in negotiations from the four-year, $160 million contract Myles Garrett signed with the Cleveland Browns. The deal, which convinced Garrett to remain in Cleveland after he originally requested a trade, had the highest AAV for a defensive player in NFL history.
Parsons should be poised to beat that AAV. Why? He turns just 26 in May while Garrett will turn 30 at the tail end of the 2025 NFL season. Parsons will be able to argue that since he's younger and has comparable production to Garrett, he should get greater value than his star edge rushing counterpart.
Parsons may not be as hellbent on blowing Garrett's AAV out of the water as he may be about getting a $200 million deal. Achieving the latter will require him to either convince the Cowboys to give him a deal worth $50 million in AAV (unlikely) or give him a five-year deal with an AAV identical or slightly greater than that of Garrett (more likely).
A five-year deal would take Parsons through the 2030 season. It would also allow him to potentially hit free agency ahead of his age-32 season.
The only question about this deal is whether Dallas would be willing to finance it. The good news for Parsons? The Cowboys have typically been more willing to give their own top players lucrative contract extensions in recent seasons rather than spend big money on free agents.
Add in that Jerry Jones and Co. just made Dak Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history with a $60 million AAV and opening the wallet to pay Parsons, the team's best defensive player, seems like a strong possibility.
2025 NFL DRAFT: 10 biggest boom-or-bust prospects
Highest-paid NFL defensive players
Below is a look at the NFL's current highest-paid defenders as Parsons prepares to reset the market.
All numbers per Spotrac.com.
AAV
- Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns: $40 million
- Danielle Hunter, EDGE, Texans: $35.6 million
- Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Raiders: $35.5 million
- Nick Bosa, EDGE, 49ers: $34 million
- Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs: $31.75 million
- Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Texans: $30 million
- Josh Hines-Allen, EDGE, Jaguars: $28.25 million
- Brian Burns, EDGE, Giants: $28.2 million
- T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers: $28 million
- Christian Wilkins, DT, Raiders: $27.5 million
Total contract value
- Nick Bosa, EDGE, 49ers: $170 million
- Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns: $160 million
- Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs: $158.75 million
- Josh Hines-Allen, EDGE, Jaguars: $141.25 million
- Brian Burns, EDGE, Giants: $141 million
- T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers: $112.01 million
- Christian Wilkins, DT, Raiders: $110 million
- Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Raiders: $106.5 million
- Milton Williams, DT, Patriots: $104 million
- Denzel Ward, CB, Browns: $100.5 million
Guaranteed money
- Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns: $123.6 million
- Nick Bosa, EDGE, 49ers: $122.5 million
- Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs: $95 million
- Maxx Crosby, EDGE, Raiders: $91.5 million
- Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Texans: $89.03 million
- Josh Hines-Allen, EDGE, Jaguars: $88 million
- Brian Burns, EDGE, Giants: $87.5 million
- Christian Wilkins, DT, Raiders: $82.75 million
- T.J. Watt, EDGE, Steelers: $80 million
- Patrick Surtain II, Broncos: $77.5 million
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Micah Parsons contract: How much could extension net Cowboys EDGE?
Continue reading...
