The 2025 offseason has been all about paying defensive players. Names like Danielle Hunter, Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett have all gotten massive extensions, with Crosby and Garrett now the two highest-paid defensive players in the NFL.
However, an assortment of elite defensive talent is still left to be paid, and atop that list is Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons. Coming off his rookie contract, Parsons has had an electric start to his career and is the heart and soul of the Cowboys’ defense. As a result, one analyst believes he could put the onus on Dallas with a simple decision.
Is Micah Parsons Getting His Extension With the Dallas Cowboys?
After Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Cleveland Browns, a lot of eyes shifted towards Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones. Before free agency began, Jones vowed to make Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in football.
But that asking price has now crossed the $40 million mark, and so far, no talks about an extension have become official. However, that might be par for the course for the Cowboys after last season, as CeeDee Lamb was the last wide receiver to get an extension.
The situation was even worse for Dak Prescott, whose four-year deal worth $240 million made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. It was signed on the Saturday before the team’s Week 1 win over the Browns last season.
However, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Parsons could focus on the length of the contract more than the actual monetary value. Speaking on the “Rich Eisen Show“, he broke down the thought process for his conclusion.
The #DallasCowboys and #RuleTheJungle fan bases are still on contract watch for Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson — are there any updates?#NFL pic.twitter.com/qFi7gAV85i
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) June 27, 2025
“With Micah, my sense would be that it’s not even about the money,” Pelissero said. “Because if they had a handshake agreement, the money is already in the line.”
However, while financial terms may be settled, contract structure and long-term flexibility are the real sticking points.
“Does he want to be under contract all the way until his mid-30s, or does he want to get another bite at the apple around 29 or 30? That one should be able to get done, but it may require the Cowboys to do something that they’ve shown in some other recent years,” Pelissero added.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter, too, confirmed his suspicions that Parsons could walk away from the offseason as the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, even with other standouts like Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt seeking extensions.
For a team that fell apart defensively due to injuries and ranked in the bottom 10 of the league on PFSN’s Defense+ metric last season, bringing back Parsons is an absolute necessity. The franchise has Super Bowl aspirations, and Parsons gives them the best chance to make that a reality.
Through the first four seasons of his career, Parsons has yet to tally fewer than 12 sacks in a single season, which was his worst career mark in an injury-riddled 2024 campaign where he only played in 13 games.
Entering the 2025 season at age 26, Parsons has a long stretch of his career ahead of him, and the Cowboys would like to ensure that he spends that time as a member of America’s Team.