FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons is expected to sign a record-breaking extension sometime in the near future, but the clock is ticking. The Cowboys begin mandatory minicamp on June 10, and first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer said that he expects Parsons to attend.
“I would assume,” Schottenheimer said Tuesday. “Micah and I talked a couple days ago. Again, he’s doing a little bit of traveling, but again, everything that he and I have talked about I expect that he would be here. Like I said, I say each and every week Micah and I have had great communication, everything I’ve asked him to do and vice versa he’s followed through on. So I would expect to see him.”
Parsons did attend OTAs earlier this offseason and said later Tuesday that he would be there for minicamp despite his recent absences from practice. He was spotted by CBS Sports in the Cowboys’ locker room after practice on Tuesday after traveling over the weekend. Parsons’ presence coincides with Dallas doing its team media and picture day activities this week.
Micah Parsons says he’ll attend Cowboys minicamp despite contract drama: ‘It’s in the owner’s hands’
Zachary Pereles
Schottenheimer expressed optimism that he would see his star pass rusher on the practice field next week given Parsons has participated in mandatory minicamp in past offseasons after skipping OTAs. He enters the final year of his contract, which pays just over $24 million in 2025. As one of the best players at his position, Parsons deserves more money and the long-term security that comes with a new contract, and he could up the ante in negotiations by holding out. Schottenheimer understands the nature of the business Parsons is, and he feels Parsons has been present despite not always being on the field thus far through OTAs.
“Being present doesn’t necessarily mean being here all the time. Doesn’t even necessarily mean having to practice,” Schottenheimer said. “It means being present, being around the guys. We all don’t see the things that some of these guys do away from here. There’s a lot of work being done away from here, whether it’s with other players in the NFL, our guys, things like that. The thing that I know about Micah is Micah wants to be here. He’s excited about what we’re building. He’s been a big proponent of that. You can lead a lot of different ways. This is a business. And they’re working through the business part of this deal. Everything I’ve asked him to do, no different than everybody that’s here, he’s been great. That gets me excited. I’m a big fan of Micah.”
So what’s the latest on Parsons’ negotiations with Dallas’ front office? Well, Cowboys COO and EVP Stephen Jones kept his remarks about the situation brief, noting he’s not disappointed by Parsons’ lack of participation in OTAs up to this point in the offseason program.
“It’s no different than anything else. I’ll let you know when it happens,” Jones said Tuesday. … “No, that’s [Parsons not being at OTA practices] part of the business. All teams go through it, and that’s part of the business.”
Parsons hit the ground running with 13 sacks in his first professional campaign, which landed him Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. The 26-year-old quarterback terror is the only player in NFL history to have recorded at least 12 sacks in a player’s first four seasons. In 63 career games, Parsons has notched a total of 52.5 sacks.
The Cowboys once again hurt themselves by waiting to strike a deal with Parsons. The pass-rush market has already been reset multiple times this offseason, and Parsons’ camp could be fighting to surpass Myles Garrett’s $40 million average annual value.
“I would say I’m more in my prime than a lot of these other guys who are more in the second half of their career,” Parsons told CBS Sports earlier this offseason.
Current highest-paid pass rushers in the NFL
If Parsons surprises Schottenheimer and skips out on mandatory minicamp, he is subject to fines. However, since Parsons is still on his rookie deal, the Cowboys have the option to waive those fines if Parsons eventually signs a new contract.
Extending Parsons as soon as possible is important for a number of different reasons, one being that it’s beneficial to have him in the building for the entirety of the preseason program. We’ve seen numerous players start seasons slowly when holding out for new contracts, and that’s something Parsons wants to avoid.
“It’s extremely important,” Parsons said of getting his deal done before training camp to avoid a holdout. “You really see a lot of players struggle, guys aren’t participating in camp and get off to slow starts,” Parsons said Tuesday night. “I don’t want to get off to no slow starts. I want to hit the ground running and establish ourselves in this league and get some wins early in the season and be in rhythm. It’s going to be extremely important to get going and lead these guys.”
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