Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys seem to be at a standstill when it comes to negotiating a new contract. ESPN's Adam Schefter appeared on The Pat McAfee Show this week to discuss what all is going on when it comes to the contract negotiation front. Schefter said on Tuesday the Cowboys and Parsons are "further away from a deal in late July, early August than we were in late March, early April."
This comes in the wake of three notable pass rushers all getting massive extensions before him. We are talking about Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and most recently T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Right now, only Parsons and Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals remain unsigned beyond this season. Something has to give at some point...
Schefter added a bit more background on why these negotiations are starting to break down a bit.
"The two sides have gone backwards, not forwards. I don't think they're speaking very much these days, if at all. This negotiation, when it was a negotiation, has gone sideways. It's not a negotiation right now. There's really no conversation about getting a deal done.
He did however, provide a glimmer of hope that a deal may be getting done before the season starts.
"That could change next week. It could change shortly before the season. We've seen how long Dallas sometimes waits on some of these deals. See CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott last season."
Here is the clip of Schefter's appearance on The Pat McAfee Show from Tuesday discussing Parsons.
How and why the Micah Parsons contract negotiations have gone sideways.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2025
Cc: @tyschmit
🎧https://t.co/Rp8NPSbboJ pic.twitter.com/4mgf5wav2F
If Dallas could get a deal done with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott, why has Parsons been so hard?
Micah Parsons may sign an extension with Dallas Cowboys this preseason
This all comes down to Jerry Jones wanting to make it about himself for the umpteenth time in his life. Letting Parsons walk would be devastating to the Cowboys' brand and their long-term viability as a potential free agent destination. If they are unable to extend the guy, then does anyone have a shot at being extended in Big D anymore? Parsons is the ideal type of player you get to a second contract.
This is all about creating a media frenzy or a circus of some sort. Jones gobbles this all up, and we absolutely hate it! Regardless, Dallas has games to win. This is a high-variance team in my estimation for this season. They have enough pieces to be competitive in a deep NFC, but they also compete in the same division as the juggernaut Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders right now.
Overall, I expect Parsons will get a new deal done with the Cowboys before the start of the season. It would be too punitive for them not to do it, as his value will only go up from here, barring any serious injuries, of course. We ran into similar issues with Lamb and Prescott in previous offseasons. It was painful, but they both did get massive extensions. Since Parsons is their best player, it should happen.
The Cowboys may be trying to garner leverage in this situation, but all know they will cave in the end.