For Micah Parsons, yesterday’s price is not today’s price. Neither is tomorrow’s
With media gathered around his locker in late December, Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons said just about everything the team would want him to say about his then-upcoming contract extension negotiations with the team.
He didn’t need to be the highest-paid defender or the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. He didn’t plan on holding out while waiting for a new deal like Zack Martin and CeeDee Lamb had done in previous years. He didn’t need $40 million per season.
The Cowboys had a lot to work with heading into the offseason when dealing with their next mega contract, and Parsons was handing it all to them. To the credit of owner and general manager Jerry Jones, he got ahead on that conversation by welcoming Parsons into his private suite at the Cotton Bowl in early January where they talked deep into the night well after the game had finished at AT&T Stadium.
But not to the credit of Jones, both sides sit almost four months later without a deal in place despite Parsons’ desires to expedite the process.
Now, Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta, who Jones notoriously said in early April that he didn’t know the name of, is another important party in this situation. While Jones’ comment/jab did not sit well with one of the most accomplished player representatives in the NFL, he has been a part of ongoing talks in recent weeks with other Cowboys representatives to continue working on a deal. Mulugheta’s desires could certainly stray from Parsons’ prior urgency to allow the market to inflate.
Regardless, Parsons has walked the walk with his comments from December. Despite some initial skepticism, it was far from just talking the talk. He arrived for the start of voluntary workouts last Monday for the first time since 2022, and said on Tuesday evening that he plans to continue being with the team while he awaits a new deal.
“For me, it’s not really walking the walk, it’s just me,” Parsons said. “I want to be a Cowboy and I want to be here. I feel like it’s just me being me. I’ve been as real as possible since I’ve been here...I’ll still be around.”
However, one thing is largely different than it was when Parsons’ made his comments in December. At the time, $40 million per season would have been $6 million more than any other non-quarterback in the league. Five months later, Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase ($40.25 million), Browns defensive end Myles Garrett ($40 million), Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter ($35.6 million) and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby ($35.5 million) have all received new deals to enrich the market.
What the price was then is no longer what the price is now.
“Before Myles and Ja’Marr, it’s challenging because you don’t need to be there,” Parsons said. “The market is set at $35 [million], and it kind of backfires. You look at the market, Maxx goes and gets $35.5 million and guys that are older than you that you can say your production and versatility matches what they are doing, I would say I’m more in my prime than see some of these guys. That’s the challenging part, getting fully of what you’re worth.”
When a deal comes, Parsons has indicated that $40 million is now the floor, no longer the ceiling. Yesterday’s price could make sense yesterday, but it’s a new day with new variables. As time goes on, the variables, or leaves falling as Jones likes to pointedly add, that price will only increase. But based on his comments last month, he remains perfectly content with that.
“The earlier you get something done, a lot of times the more mistakes you make,” Jones said. “You might want to see a few more cards played, not just with that particular negotiation but with the whole team. ... I’d rather pay more and get it right than to pay less and screw it up.”
How much more is Jones willing to pay? That’s uncertain. But one thing is certain: the price tag around Parsons’ No. 11 jersey will only increase as time goes by.
This story was originally published April 23, 2025 at 8:36 AM.
