The Cowboys are all about tradition. Especially when it comes to contract negotiations as well. In a market where the prices keep going up with every single new deal that comes along, Micah Parsons is waiting for a new deal for himself. Remember his ’24 Dec. claims? “I think I’m the best player in the world… I don’t throw numbers out there like that. I’ll see what they’re willing to give me.” But welcome to the JJ Circus… Somehow, Jerry Jones has managed to keep his cards to himself, waiting for just the right moment to sweep in for the big finish. As the game of patience continues, analysts are making some suggestions for Jones that are a little hard to ignore.
Micah Parsons is still on his rookie contract, with a salary of a little over $17 million. But since 2021, he has been a Pro-Bowler every single season of his NFL career. That’s 4x Pro Bowls and even 2x All-Pros for Parsons. But with the defensive market in a constant bull run, many believe Parsons deserves a deal worthy of his Pro-Bowl Pedigree. A brand new contract of approximately $150 million. But Colin Cowherd may not be one of the believers. As he sees it, Jerry Jones would use a page out of the Chiefs’ playbook and go a different way.
On the Colin Cowherd Podcast, talking with John Middlekauff, Cowherd broke down his investment idea for the Cowboys. As Cowherd put it, “we’re going to draft our defense. We’re going to stay young, cheap, and twitchy. – You want to have most of your money on the offensive side. Left Tackle, quarterback, weapon. And that feels like what Kansas City started to do with Mahomes. Like we’re going to pay for some stuff to help him offensive line, but we’re going to keep out defenses super young.” From the draft this year, the Chiefs notably got 4 new defensive additions compared to 3 offensive pieces. Cowherd also noted that the defense is where injuries happen the most. Cowherd’s advice? Keep putting the big money on the offensive tables. And bring in as many young bloods for defense as you can, instead of splurging it all on a single star.
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But then came the ultimatum on Parsons. The sports host ran through a list of defensive stars: Jared Verse, Myles Garrett, Chris Jones, Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson… Finally, coming to the conclusion that Parsons doesn’t quite measure up. “I couldn’t pay him top of the market,” Cowherd said. While he praised Parsons as a “splash player and a really good one,” he argued the Cowboys’ star lacks the strength, consistency, and versatility that define the league’s most dominant defenders.
That’s a sharp take, but not a universal one. Around the league, plenty of evaluators believe Parsons is a generational talent. Three-time Pro Bowler, two-time First-Team All-Pro, 40.5 sacks in three seasons—those numbers speak for themselves. For many, it’s not a matter of if Parsons gets paid, but when. And if the market keeps climbing, that deal might just make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Micah Parsons’ contract timeline
“It’s inevitable and it’s almost inarguable. Micah is going to sign the richest-ever non-QB contract in NFL history.” With these words, Cowboys insider Mike Fisher predicted a five-year deal for Parsons easily exceeding $200 million. But the timeline of that deal (even the final number) is still up in the air. Parsons himself has hinted that the longer the wait goes on, the price tag will keep going up. And as far as Jerry Jones is concerned, he might just wait until the last moment to make the magic happen. As John Middlekauff put it while talking to Cowherd, “the way that Jerry does business is like anyone thinking that Micah is going to get paid during the Fourth of July holiday hasn’t been following the Cowboys. This is going to happen mid to late August right before the season, and it’s going to be absolutely top of the market.”
Right before the season kicks off is the date, as Middlekauff believes. While he agreed Parsons will get a premium deal, Middlekauff also noted that the deal would have been much cheaper if it had been signed last year. But the Cowboys have built their team around Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons. As Middlekauff put it, “The Cowboys, to me, it’s the way they built their team. They’re all in on two players, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb. CeeDee is an excellent player. Micah is damn good. And a quarterback who’s, you know, on his good days like eight and on his bad days like 16th.” In terms of offense, George Pickens also packs a lot of promise in Dallas this year. So while the Parsons deal may be a little far into the future, it looks like it’s certainly happening.
It’s now up to Jerry Jones to raise Parsons’ contract above $40 million a year. The training camps have been announced. For now, all eyes will be on that, and once the preseason matchups end, Parsons might finally have the deal he’s been patiently waiting for. Will he get that deal? Or will Jones take a page from the Chiefs and go a different way?
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