Regardless of his position designation, Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons will receive record salary
There was never any question that the Cowboys were going to place the fifth-year contract option on All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.
That they reportedly designated him as a defensive end rather than at linebacker will draw a grievance, per his agent David Mulugheta.
The defensive end fifth-year option is $21.32 million compared to the linebacker option of $24 million.
A sources said the Cowboys have not made a final decision on that yet.
The position he is ultimately tagged is determined by the NFL based on play-time in his third season.
And at the end of the day, it likely won’t matter as there is little chance he plays on fifth-year option as the Cowboys are already budgeting for a record-setting contract extension for Parsons. They expect to get the deal done in the next 12 months.
And when it happens, look for Parsons’ deal to set the record for a defensive player in the history of the NFL, regardless of position.
That is Parsons’ expectation. He is considered to be league’s best pass rusher in terms of sacks, quarterback hits, pressures and double teams. He finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021 and 2022 and finished third in 2023.
After playing his rookie season at linebacker, Parsons has spent much of his time as a defensive end as pass rusher the past two seasons. He played 87.8 percent of his snaps at defensive end last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers set the market for a Parsons when he signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension last season. That contract includes $122.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history with an average annual salary of $34 million.
Parsons’ agent will likely protest the defensive end designation on the fifth-year option.
There is little chance he plays in 2025 on the fifth-year option with or without a contract and as long as Parsons gets Bosa money, it won’t matter.
This story was originally published March 6, 2024 at 8:03 AM.
