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Micah Parsons is one of the very best defenders in all of the NFL, and despite some of his Dallas Cowboys teammates getting big paydays, Parsons is reportedly not pressed to sign on the dotted line right away.
Over the past few weeks, the Cowboys signed quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to $240 million and $136 million extensions, respectively, making them some of the highest players in the NFL at their positions. Parsons, as one of the league's premier edge rushers, will likely reset the market when he signs his deal. But that doesn't mean he's in a hurry to do so, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, who says Parsons is well-aware that the “market for elite defenders will only go up.”
“Micah Parsons, the do-it-all All-Pro linebacker, is in line for the next record-setting deal, but he is settling in for a long wait for a pay day, sources say,” Rapoport wrote. “He also is in no rush for a deal, despite putting up the kind of production that often demands contractual attention.
“Do not be surprised if Parsons' timeline for a potential big-money extension is similar to that of Prescott, who signed a four-year, $240-million deal a week ago. When Parsons gets a deal done, he's expected to be the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history, just like when San Francisco 49ers pass rusher Nick Bosa inked his extension in Sept. 2023.”
A year ago, Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million deal with the 49ers, which included $122.5 million guaranteed. That's a lot of money, but like Rapoport said, the price for the very best on the edge, just like at wide receiver or quarterback, is set to only increase.
Unless he suffers a major injury or Cowboys owner Jerry Jones puts his proverbial foot down and decides not to give Parsons the deal he wants despite having forked over about $380 million to Prescott and Lamb, waiting will be very beneficial for Parsons. Elite edge rushers like Parsons, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt could decide how much the next generation of edge rushers will get paid.
Mike Zimmer's Cowboys defense had fun today. Putting Micah Parsons in multiple spots, bluffing pressure, sending pressure, and catching deflections for INTs pic.twitter.com/daALC3fjt1
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 9, 2024
Everyone in that trio is nearing the end of their respective contracts — Parsons (depending on franchise tags) and Watt have two more years and Garrett has three years — but Parsons is considerably younger than the other two. Parsons, 25, is expected to be entering his prime when his next contract goes into effect, while Garrett and Watt, while still two of the very best, will be in their 30s when their current deals are up.
Before Bosa's market-setting $34 million-per-year deal, Bosa and Garrett were the two highest-paid edge rushers at $28 and $25 million per year, respectively. It's very possible Parsons, who had 40.5 sacks through his first three seasons in the NFL, could earn $40 million annually whenever he decides to sign his next contract.
