Much has been made about the Cowboys trio of soon-to-be free agents this past offseason. Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons are all eyeing new deals with Dallas, as all are expected to get near market-setting money in the process.
The urgency of the situation falls primarily on the quarterback since Prescott is a free agent in March and without the availability of the franchise tag, the Cowboys have no way to forcibly retain him. Coming in second on the urgency odometer is the receiver, since Lamb is similarly scheduled to hit free agency in March and has already reached disgruntled status with his contract situation.
Parsons has basically been moved to the backburner as a result.
The All-Pro pass rusher is under contract for the next two seasons and since deadlines often make deals to the Jones family, Parsons probably shouldn’t expect talks to truly start until 2025.
It’s no secret Parsons seeks to reset the market on defense. He’s on a historic pace posting 13 or more sacks in each of his first three seasons. His explosiveness is off the charts and frankly he’s only scratched the surface of his potential.
Parsons has come under fire over the offseason for his commitment to his podcast and questionable commitment to improve and lead the team. Fair or not, it’s no doubt in the back of his mind as he embarks on the new season. As if he wasn’t motivated enough by his upcoming free agency, silencing his critics should add extra incentive to explode in 2024.
With Mike Zimmer running the defense, Parsons may be rushing from different places this season. In addition to offering better opportunities for sacks that nomadic strategy might also prevent teams from targeting Parsons, thusly reducing the wear and tear of a 17-game season. It’s not unrealistic to think Parsons could be in store for a 20-sack season at age 25.
Contract seasons can be extremely motivating for players and 2024 is effectively a contract season for Parsons. No one should be surprised if he treats this a little differently than the ones before, posting career numbers and potentially becoming the highest paid non-QB in the process.
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