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Here things go again. It has now been a full calendar year since the Dallas Cowboys were eliminated from the 2023 playoffs in inglorious fashion. Wild-card weekend was not kind to Dallas last January, as the Green Bay Packers dumped them out of the playoffs and ruined the vibe for all of 2024.
Following the loss, the number one topic was whether or not the Cowboys would bring back head coach Mike McCarthy for another season and one of their biggest stars were one season away from first-time free agency. January 2025 is looking back like, “Samesies.”
Dallas is once again wondering about McCarthy’s future, and once again they have a superstar who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. It took Dallas all offseason and most of training camp to succumb to WR CeeDee Lamb’s contract demands, and now they are gearing up for negotiations with edge rusher extraordinaire, Micah Parsons.
While Parsons has said publicly he’d be willing to take a hometown discount if, and only if, the club was going to use the savings to bring in outside talent, it’s expected he will be paid handsomely. How handsomely? Most-money-ever-for-a-non-quarterback type money.
ESPN+’s recent look at the offseason for all eliminated clubs, and in their section on the Cowboys, predict that Parsons will surpass Nick Bosa’s contract from 2023, and clock in at $175 million total new money.
Big prediction for the offseason: Despite some public consternation between edge rusher Micah Parsons and the Cowboys’ brass, an extension will get done this offseason, and it’ll be the biggest one a defensive player has ever seen. Nick Bosa got $170 million over five years; Parsons will get $175 million over the same length, along with $125 million in total guaranteed money to exceed Bosa’s $122.5 million figure. Parsons has been the league’s best defender when on the field this season. He deserves every penny. — Solak
Parsons is of course off to a sensational start to his career. He’s the first player since Reggie White with 12 sacks or more in his first four seasons in the league, and as White started in the USFL, is the first to do so starting in his rookie season. Parsons is recession proof; even in a season where he missed four contests, he still ended up with 12.5 sacks.
He’s dominated and looks to be getting better every season, commanding double and triple teams at alarming rates and still ranking among league leaders in pass rush win rate.