When Micah Parsons left for the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Dan Quinn was still his defensive coordinator. When he gets back, though, that office at The Star will be empty. And maybe a little piece of the 26-year-old linebacker is suddenly gone, too.
Quinn was the only defensive coordinator Parsons had known in his three years as a Dallas Cowboy. In that time, Quinn took a first-round draft pick who many weren’t sure how to evaluate after he opted out of the 2020 season at Penn State and turned him- almost immediately- into one of the most feared defenders in the pro game.
Parsons was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, finished second for Defensive Player of the Year last season, and is a finalist for the award again this year. He has three All-Pro nods. He’s attending his third Pro Bowl.
And Quinn just signed on as the new head coach of the Washington Commanders.
NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe caught up with Parsons this weekend and asked him about seeing his mentor go.
“Super happy for him,” Parsons said. “Q’s like a big uncle to me. I know how much this means for him, and I know it’s a step he wanted to take. He stayed with me as long as he could. Any team out there is lucky to have him.”
Going 1-on-1 with Cowboys star Micah Parsons at his 3rd Pro Bowl in 3 years about losing his DC Dan Quinn to Commanders, what Jerry Jones “all-in” offseason plan means to him, more: pic.twitter.com/YSxD6x6KRM
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 2, 2024
In his first official statement as Commanders head coach, Quinn looked back with love on his tenure in Dallas.
“I want to thank Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Coach Mike McCarthy, and the entire Dallas Cowboys organization for the past three seasons,” Quinn said. “The players, coaching staff, and everyone across the organization became family in such a short time.”
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
Parsons also had a message this weekend, one for his Commanders counterparts in regard to the man who’ll be leading them soon.
“They’re getting a real, upstanding, outstanding guy, man,” Parsons told Wolfe. “I hope those players buy in and play with extreme heart for him. Understand that no one’s going to love them and care more about them than Dan Quinn. Please appreciate his presence, appreciate his greatness, and take of my guy.”
Dallas and Washington have met 128 total times on the field, including playoffs. But the next one will hit very differently for Parsons. And probably for Quinn, too, as the two men who became family will, at least twice a year for the foreseeable future, now face each other from opposite sidelines.
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]
[mm-video type=video id=01hnk4sssbz5ceb1n8r8 playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hnk4sssbz5ceb1n8r8/01hnk4sssbz5ceb1n8r8-9cebbe31117c867c16964aec6e811a44.jpg]
[lawrence-newsletter]