Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, No. 11, warms up before an NFL football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Jacob Kupferman | The Associated Press)AP
FRISCO, Texas — Defensive end Micah Parsons shed light on how he’s planning to approach impending contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys and said Thursday he’d like to sign a new contract “sooner than later.”
Parsons’ rookie contract is set to enter its fifth and final year in 2025, but the three-time All-Pro is in position to command a large pay raise on a new deal this offseason. When a reporter asked how much Parsons would like to make per year, the star pass rusher smiled.
“I think I’m the best player in the world,” Parsons said. “I don’t throw numbers out there like that. I’ll see what they’re willing to give.”
Parsons’ teammate, quarterback Dak Prescott, owns the contract with the NFL’s highest average annual value at $60 million. The league’s top-paid defensive player, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, makes $34 million a year, according to Spotrac.
So, could the 25-year-old Parsons ask for $40 million?
“Na — I don’t need 40,” he said.
Parsons spun the conversation by saying he wants the team to have flexibility to retain some of his talented teammates.
“It would just be nice to be surrounded by good players,” said Parsons, who will suit up for the Cowboys (6-8) on Sunday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6). “I’ll say that. To me, having $40 million and [getting] chipped every day and slid to with three, four people — I don’t think that sounds too fun to me. … Obviously, we’re going to get Sam [Williams] back, and we’re going to get some of them players back, but I want to keep as many players as possible.”
Parsons piled up at least 13 sacks each of his first three seasons and has 8.5 sacks through 10 games this season. He missed four weeks after suffering a high ankle sprain Sept. 26, marking the first extended absence of his football career.
As the Cowboys limp toward the end of a season in which they’re almost assured to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Parsons’ contract status has attracted attention. Before Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, an NFL Network report called his future negotiations “the elephant in the room” because of how much money such an impactful young player could make.
The Cowboys already have an average of $94 million per year tied up in Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb over the next four seasons.
Parsons reiterated Thursday that he wants to remain in Dallas and that he’d like to get a new contract done quickly.
“I’m going to try to work with them as much as possible to attack free agency,” Parsons said. “To me, this offseason, I want to be here. I want to get these guys right, take big steps, so hopefully it can be done sooner than later.”
This summer, Lamb held out of training camp before his fifth season and wound up signing a four-year, $136 million contract in late August. When Lamb’s numbers early in the season sagged compared to his output from last year, some suggested that his absence from the offseason program played a part.
Parsons said he would consider attending training camp even if he hasn’t agreed to a new contract when it begins in July, because he’d want to gel with new teammates and potentially learn a new scheme if defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer implements changes or does not return.
“Everyone is different. I think I’d still be around,” Parsons said. “I gotta be around guys. There’s going to be rookies, there’s going to be free agent guys that come here. You don’t know who’s going to be there. Like I said, our room is full of free agents. There’s a chemistry part. People know what you do, but people also gotta see it, too, from a leader aspect. So, I still gotta be there for my guys.”
Parsons, who is represented by high-powered agent David Mulugheta, said he’ll be ready to negotiate a contract as soon as the Cowboys are.
“I can’t go up to [executive vice president] Stephen [Jones] and say, ‘Hey, I want to get paid here,’” Parsons said. “But our door is open. My people know that.”
