Micah Parsons questions contract standoff with Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons doesn't know why his contract extension is taking so long to negotiate, either.
In an appearance on former WWE wrestler The Undertaker's podcast, Six Feet Under, Parsons said he didn't understand the reason for the delays in getting an extension done. The four-time Pro Bowler is set to enter his fifth season playing on the fifth-year option year of his original rookie contract, meaning he's been eligible to sign an extension since last offseason.
"Obviously, ownership's always going to make it drag out, make it more complicated than it has to be, lack of communication, that standpoint," the two-time All-Pro said.
Parsons said that he and his team were rebuffed last year as they tried to get an extension done early. Instead, the Cowboys told them the focus was on reaching extensions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. (Prescott and Lamb eventually signed respective four-year extensions within two weeks of each other prior to the start of the 2024 regular season.)
Then as the post-2024 offseason began, the Cowboys continued to wait on reaching a deal with Parsons. Meanwhile, Maxx Crosby and the Las Vegas Raiders agreed to a huge extension. Then, Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns reached a megadeal of their own.
"I will never understand it," Parsons said. "We wanted to do the contract last year – then you go out there and perform again. You would think, 'Alright, we'll get it done early, we know some guys are about to get re-paid.' There's Myles [Garrett], Maxx [Crosby] is going, so you would think, 'Hey, let's get ahead of that.'
"You can't want us to take less (now) because you're the one that decided to wait."
As other teams decide on similar situations with their star edge rushers – the Steelers with T.J. Watt; the Bengals with Trey Hendrickson – the Cowboys have a chance to get a deal done with Parsons before those players' deals further inflate the edge-rusher market.
For now, all Parsons can do is wait for his big payday, whenever it comes and wherever it comes from.