The Dallas Cowboys always crack the door open for some drama when they have a superstar up for a major contract extension. They ensured there was plenty of intrigue around the contract negotiations for All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee lamb last offseason before re-signing both of them.
Now, three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is on deck, playing out his fourth year of his rookie deal in 2024.
"We love Micah," Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told NFL.com on Wednesday after the NFL's winter league meetings. "I can't imagine there's a scenario where he's not wearing a star on his helmet."
That comment certainly makes it seem like Parsons, who is one of two players along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White to have at least 13 sacks in each of their first three seasons played since 1982 (when individual sacks began being officially tracked as a statistic), will be re-signed as a core piece of the Cowboys for years to come. However, Jones also didn't rule out trading Parsons in a potential effort to diversify the Dallas' spending up and down its roster after the team's starts have been decimated by injuries in 2024.
"I think that's a balancing act that you always got to look at," Jones said. "Especially when you're good, good players get hurt and are not on the field. It totally magnifies the issue if you lose guys like Dak [Presscott], and [Trevon] Diggs misses games, Zack Martin misses games, and it's going to magnify something like that. You're going to say, 'God, are we smart having this much money tied into the top five to 10 players?'"
When Parsons himself was told about those comments following the Cowboys' 30-14 victory that improved their record to 6-8 with three games left in the regular season, he maintained he didn't have any hard feelings about them, and he reiterated a desire to remain in Dallas.
"I understand how that business side goes. There are no hard feelings in this business, whether I'm here or anywhere else. Obviously I've stated that I want to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side," Parsons said, via The Athletic, postgame. "I've put in a lot of work, I've played hard too, so obviously if sides can't agree to those type of things, it happens like that. But I'm just happy to be here. I'm just gonna keep playing hard while I'm here. If I'm here for the next five, six years, I'm going to keep playing hard then too. Ain't nothing really gonna make a difference, Micah is gonna play hard."
Parsons has lived up to his promise to play hard down the stretch after producing two sacks of Panthers quarterback Bryce Young on Sunday. He now leads the entire league in both sacks (7.5) and quarterback pressures (40) since returning from a high ankle sprain in Week 10 that caused him to miss four games. Parsons also applied some pressure upon Jones and the Cowboys' front office, pounding the table for a greater supporting cast around him in order for Dallas to taste Super Bowl glory while the 25-year-old is in his prime.
"I want something greater. I want a Super Bowl. I'm in my prime," Parsons said, via The Athletic, postgame. "I feel like I'm untouchable right now. [Team success] brings everything else. I said I want an unofficial no one ever to wear No. 11 [again]. You know what I got to do for that? I got to win some titles."