“It should be embarrassing” - NFL analyst calls out Cowboys for not offering Micah Parsons contract extension

It seems that Micah Parsons isn’t as high on the Dallas Cowboys’ priority list to sign as many would think. NFL insider Greg Rosenthal is among the many shocked that the linebacker is one of their remaining 2021 draft picks who has yet to receive a new contract.

"it should be embarrassing for the Cowboys that the 2022 draft class picks are starting to get their extensions before Parsons. Micah is now the only star 2021 first rounder without one," Rosenthal tweeted on Monday.

On March 4, Dallas extended the contract of defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year $80 million deal. He was in the same draft year as Parsons, with the Cowboys taking him at No. 75, long after they selected Parsons at 12th overall.

Odighizuwa and Parsons are among the few from the 2021 draft who are still with Dallas. The other is Israel Mukuamu, who has seen little action since being selected in the sixth round.

Many of the 2022 draftees will become free agents by the end of next season. With Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert among the bigger names on that list, there is an option on Smith’s contract. The Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Parsons’ rookie deal last April. According to Over the Cap, Parsons is due to earn over $24 million this upcoming season.

The new contracts of defensive ends Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, which pay $40 and $35.5 million annually, are expected to impact the kind of money Parsons may get when he is offered a contract by the Cowboys or another team.

He could get an annual salary on par with Garrett between now and the end of next season.

Micah Parsons’ numbers speak for themselves

Greg Rosenthal may have given a good point about Micah Parsons deserving a new deal, considering everything that he has accomplished.

He set a rookie sack record in Dallas with 13 in 2021, has registered a dozen or more in each of his NFL seasons and has put up at least 30 solo tackles in every campaign. He registered 12 sacks in his first 13 NFL games, only the fourth player to achieve that over that span, along with Julius Peppers (13), Reggie White (13) and Leslie O’Neal (12.5).

Parsons has led the Cowboys in sacks in each of his four NFL seasons, with no one else on the defensive side reaching double digits. He’s also been to the Pro Bowl every season and has been an All-Pro three times, twice on the first-team.

He was the only defensive player in 2024 to earn a Pro Bowl nod for the Cowboys.