If Micah Parsons would have stayed away from the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason program, it would have been understandable.
Parsons, the Cowboys’ star edge rusher and one of the best players in the NFL, has been waiting patiently for a new contract. One of the few points of leverage he has is a holdout.
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But Parsons isn’t going that route, at least as voluntary workouts start. Parsons was at the start of the Cowboys’ workouts on Monday, according to Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS Sports.
It’s a good-faith gesture by Parsons, who will likely get a contract that could match or exceed the four-year, $160 million deal Myles Garrett signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Parsons will make a little more than $24 million this season after the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, but he wants a longer (and bigger) deal after dominating for his first four NFL seasons.
Micah Parsons is seeking a new deal with the Dallas Cowboys. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
Parsons showing up for the workouts isn’t a big surprise. He told the team’s site late last year that he didn’t plan to hold out.
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“I definitely think I need to be here in camp because, honestly, when so much of the defense is surrounded by your play and your presence, and others are getting lined up based off of you, I need to be here so that way I can get these guys accordingly,” Parsons told the team’s site. “We can rush together, build that chemistry.
“So I think it’s of extreme importance that I’m back at OTAs, minicamp.”
Still, there’s a difference between saying that in December and following through on it in April. The Cowboys have been criticized for not getting a deal done with Parsons yet, with Jerry Jones saying he didn’t think it was urgent to get it done right now, and sidestepping Parsons’ agent to meet with Parsons directly this offseason. But the Cowboys have waited before only to get a major deal done before the season starts.
Perhaps Parsons will be at every offseason activity and also sign the largest non-quarterback deal in NFL history before the season starts. For now, he’s following through and attending the team’s voluntary workouts.
