NFL insider dishes latest on Micah Parsons contract negotiations after NFL Draft

Nothing has been ramped up in the Micah Parsons contract negotiations on the Dallas Cowboys front, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The star pass rusher previously confirmed he would be at camp despite holdout rumors.

Both parties want to lock it in long term and not part ways. As Fowler put it, the Cowboys have a tendency to do these type of contract extensions late in the window.

So could Parsons get a deal done right before the regular season? That would be par for the course.

“That doesn’t mean that they will not (get him a new deal),” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “They are budgeting for that. They want to keep Parsons long term, they do have a pension for signing their star players. It just takes a little while. Last year, Dak Prescott didn’t get his deal done until September 8, right before the season, CeeDee Lamb, late August. 

“So they can certainly draw this out, but they know what the price tag is, 35-40 million dollars per year for a player of his caliber. So they’re going to save that money, although they could spend a little bit to add a receiver in free agency.”

Parsons, the All-Pro pass rusher, wants to get paid. Jerry Jones would like to pay the 25-year-old, but the two sides remain in disagreement on a final number. Clarence Hill Jr. of All City DLLS reported earlier this month that Jones offered Parsons a record-breaking contract that would make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

The Cleveland Browns recently signed edge rusher Myles Garrett to a deal worth $40 million, the highest for an NFL defender. Chase signed a contract worth $40.25 million per season, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback. Parsons said earlier this week that in an ideal world, this gets settled by the start of training camp in July.

“It’s extremely important,” Parsons said, via Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com. “I mean, you really see a lot of players struggle when guys aren’t participating in camp and they’re getting off to slow starts. Don’t wanna get off to a slow start. I wanna hit the ground running and establish ourselves in this league and get some wins early in the season and be in rhythm. It’s gonna be extremely important for me to get going and lead these guys.”

Parsons has one more season remaining on his rookie contract, a fifth-year option Dallas previously picked up. Parsons finished the 2024 season with 43 total tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He has tallied double digit sacks in each of his four NFL seasons, totaling 52.5.

Nick Geddes contributed to this report