Micah Parsons has been a superstar ever since he got in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys struck gold when they drafted him in 2021, but it seems like they might strike out after Jerry Jones hasn’t been able to get the 4x Pro Bowler a new deal.
“Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization… after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision—I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally,“ Parsons wrote on his social media profiles.
According to Parsons post, he tried to talk about a contract extension in 2023 and soon after the 2024 NFL season ended. However, the Cowboys didn’t engage in talks. Per Parsons, he was answered with “radio silence as far as my extension.” This premature deal would’ve been better for Dallas as the pass rusher market was not as high as it is now.
Parsons took issue with how Cowboys operate
In his lengthy post, Parsons took shots to the front office as to how they approach negotiations. Parsons exposed Jerry Jones’ ways of pressuring his players. The linebacker stated that the Cowboys tried to strong arm him into contract meetings without his agent.
Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys
Parsons assured he “met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me. Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation… but when my agent reached out he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case.” That is very shady behaviour from the Cowboys.
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How does Parsons compare to other top-tier pass rushers?
When compared to other top-tier pass rushers that recently got massive contracts, Parsons shouldn’t envy a thing (except the money). Since the Penn State product arrived in 2021, these are the numbers between him, Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt.
| Games Played | Sacks | Tackles for Loss | QB Hits | Forced Fumbles (Recovered) | |
| Micah Parsons | 63 | 52.5 | 63 | 112 | 9 (4) |
| Myles Garrett | 67 | 60 | 74 | 117 | 10 (3) |
| T.J. Watt | 59 | 58.5 | 67 | 114 | 16 (8) |
Then, let’s look at the money. Watt signed a massive 3-year, $123 million contract, which is a $41 million average annual salary. As for Garrett, he signed a 4-year, $160 million extension, in other words, a $40 million average annual salary. Parsons is still dealing with a rookie contract, which gives him a mere $4.27 million per year. As you can see in the table above, Parsons is on par with both Watt and Garrett, yet he was lowballed by the Cowboys.
