Dallas Cowboys two-time first team All-Pro “linebacker” Micah Parsons has been every bit the stud heat seeking defensive missile in Dallas as he was at Penn State in his first three seasons in the NFL.
Parsons has racked up 40.5 sacks and has started 50 of 50 games since his rookie season in 2021. He is one of the league’s premier pass rushers and should be compensated accordingly when the team decides to extend his rookie contract which just wrapped up its third year.
Here’s where things get a little sticky though.
The Cowboys are exercising the fifth-year option on Parsons’ contract, which is not a surprise, and has to be done before the fourth year, per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement.
However, the Cowboys are apparently going to designate the option on Parsons as a defensive end, not a linebacker, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reports.
The fifth-year option in NFL rookie contracts is a provision specifically designed for first-round draft choices, which Parsons is, as he was drafted in 2021 with the 12th pick overall.
As a linebacker, Parsons would earn $24 million in 2025 in the final year of his contract. As a defensive end, though, his salary would be $21.32 million, thus saving ownership a little under $3 million.
Parsons is listed as a linebacker, but according to Pro Football Focus, he played 87.8 percent of his snaps at defensive end the last two seasons, as the Cowboys, under their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, ran a 4-3 defense, not a 3-4.
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Why Micah Parsons’ Fifth-Year Option Could be Controversial
The designation might be a mere formality though because in all likelihood, Parsons will not take the field on his fifth-year option.
However, Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, could file a grievance with the league regarding the designation but when all is said and done look for a long-term extension for the former Nittany Lion star that could make Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. If that doesn’t happen, Parsons will most likely sit out until it does.
I’m not sure why the Cowboys would irritate their biggest star right now considering it’ll probably end up as a moot designation. There’s already plenty of drama in Big D right now in the wake of a disastrous first round home loss to the Packers 48-32 back in January.
“We need to have way more accountability,” Parsons said recently on his podcast. “I just think we let things slide too often because we know we’re good. That’s all about me. I want to change the culture. I want to change the identity of what the Cowboys are. Cut the extra stuff out, I just want people to lock in for 22 weeks. Seven months can change your life. And I’m ready.”
His comments left his quarterback Dak Prescott on the defensive. Prescott, at a Gala he attended in Dallas this past Monday night had this to say about the growing criticism surrounding the team’s culture in the aftermath of an untimely first round exit.
“Yeah, the culture is high honestly, and the culture is great from my standpoint,” …. “My point is that’s something I’ve bragged on and took pride in. So if there’s questions of that or concerns on that, I feel attacked. I’m sure some guys in the locker room do, but at the end of the day, it’s a business, and the way that this business plays out, people don’t get exactly what they want. There’s always sourness I guess you could say somewhere. I don’t want to make anything bigger than that.”
By the way Parsons podcast is ironically called “The EDGE with Micah Parsons”. Might be hard to walk that back in the upcoming negotiations. Just sayin’.
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It was at PRISM where Staszak produced live games and began his career as an on-air reporter.
After a couple of brief stints with CBS-3, WB-17 and WGAL-8 in Lancaster, PA, Staszak began a 12 year stretch at FOX 29 where he became the lead sportscaster in 2007. It was there that Staszak found himself in the middle of Philadelphia Phillies World Series Championship coverage that earned him an Emmy nomination for best sports reporter in 2008.It was one of five Emmy nominations that Staszak earned over the course of his career.
All told Staszak covered three World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, an NBA Finals and one Super Bowl during his television run.
Staszak left the TV business for 97.5 The Fanatic in 2013, where he enjoyed eight years bloviating his beliefs on how a professional football team should be run.In 2018 when he fortunate enough to be the first sports talk host in the city, along with cohort Zach Gelb, to provide post-game coverage of the first Super Bowl Championship for the city’s beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
Staszak was also a writer for 97.5 The Fanatic along with 4 Philly Sports and now covers Penn State athletics for NittanyCentral.com.
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