Dallas Cowboys fans have to be getting nervous as the extension standoff between outspoken team owner Jerry Jones and star defensive end Micah Parsons drags on.
The former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year just wrapped up his fourth season in Dallas, and he’s made the Pro Bowl every year. Now, former players call Jones out for dragging his feet when Parsons is arguably the team’s best defender.
Micah Parsons’ Teammate Is Putting in the Extra Work to Make His Prophecy Come True
Parsons is essentially the quarterback of the defense, and if the Cowboys want to get back to winning Super Bowls, they need to pay him like the other top defenders in the league.
Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown recently joined Kay Adams on her podcast, “Up & Adams.” She asked if he’d seen Parsons and whether Parsons had said anything about the contract drama. Overshown, Dallas’ third-round pick in 2023, played it cool.
“Micah, he’s in and out,” Overshown said of seeing Parsons this offseason. “Yeah, I see Micah, and we chop it up. Look, I’m out of the loop as much as you. As much as we chit-chat and stuff, it’s just two brothers — we kinda leave the business and stuff out of it.”
Adams pushed back, saying she found it hard to believe Overshown isn’t doing whatever he can to get Jones to lock Parsons in. She pointed out that Overshown recently convinced Jones to let him wear No. 0 — instead of 13 — for the first time in team history. If he could get the owner to change that rule, why not help him keep Parsons?
“I plan on playing with Micah for years to come. We both want the same thing — to retire Dallas Cowboys. On this team, we know what we’ve got in Micah Parsons, and we don’t want to see him in another uniform. Best believe every chance I get, I’m talking about our future together. We doing this for the long haul, we got some chips to win here,” Overshown said.
Part of the holdup reportedly comes from Jones wanting to negotiate directly with Parsons, while the linebacker insists everything go through his agent. The standoff is surprising since Jones usually isn’t shy about offering big bonuses and contracts.
Parsons missed four games in 2024 with a high ankle sprain. That time off hurt his shot at winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, an honor he was in the running for during each of his first three seasons. Still, his presence was felt every time he hit the field.
The Cowboys are in an increasingly competitive NFC East with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and a much-improved Washington Commanders squad. If Dallas wants to end its Super Bowl drought, which goes back to the mid-1990s, it can’t afford to lose a player like Parsons.