3 reasons why Micah Parsons should leave the Cowboys if he wants a big payday

The Dallas Cowboys have struggled to regain their glory over the past three decades. Irrespective of their struggles in making it to the Super Bowl, Dallas has been blessed with defensive talent. The franchise has repeatedly proven that they can build a defensive powerhouse by drafting and grooming talent.

Over the years, the Cowboys have had their share of defensive stars: Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware, Marcus Spears, and DeMarcus Lawrence. In the recent past, the addition of Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, and Trevon Diggs has ensured the continuity of their defensive dominance.

With that being said, the Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of risking losing star edge rusher Micah Parsons. He enters into the fifth year of his rookie deal, and after Jerry Jones duly paid his offensive stars, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, it is now Parsons’s turn to receive his piece of the pie.

There is just one problem, though: Dallas is not in a position to pay him. The team was able to get Dak Prescott to restructure his deal to free up cap space to be able to make moves in free agency. Ideally, offering a new deal to Micah Parsons would benefit Dallas because that way, the team would be able to restructure his deal and get around having to pay him the $24 million that he is owed, but it seems unlikely that Parsons will get paid anytime soon.

Here are three reasons why Micah Parsons would be better off joining another team if he is looking to be fairly compensated and have a better chance of winning games.

3. Micah Parsons stands to earn more with another team

The market for defensive linemen has received a big boost during free agency. It all started with Myles Garrett’s record-setting extension for four years, with an average annual value of $40 million. Garrett is older than Parsons and has proven his worth; however, if there is anyone close to his level in the NFL, it is the edge rusher on the Cowboys.

While Parsons expects to receive a deal that exceeds Garrett’s contract, he is more likely to receive a four-year contract with an average annual value of $35+ million. Teams across the NFL would jump at the opportunity to pay him, and what is better is that Parsons stands to move to a team with better odds of winning.

A change of scenario would be great for him. It allows him to redefine himself and showcase that he can have a similar impact no matter what team he plays for.

2. Jerry Jones

The General Manager/Owner of the Dallas Cowboys has made it clear that he will not lose Micah Parsons. However, Jerry Jones has been handling his star player’s contract negotiations on his terms. Recently, reports surfaced courtesy of All City DLLS that Jones is prepared to make the three-time All-Pro the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

That was a positive step in the right direction, but right after these reports emerged, Jones went on national television and downplayed the involvement of Parsons’s agent David Mulugheta in negotiating the new deal. Jones is attempting to strike a deal without the agent’s involvement. He admitted to spending hours with Parsons and discussed the value and key clauses of his new deal.

I know that I’ve spent five, six hours with him myself and had a lot of discussions. Most of the issues are in agreement, and I’ve discussed it all. We obviously don’t have an agreement relative to a new contract.

Jones said via The Athletic

Jerry Jones with the latest on Micah Parsons’ contract situation. He said term, guarantees and money have all been discussed with Parsons pic.twitter.com/FFHxM4O8Lg

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 1, 2025

Although Parsons and Jones have discussed key terms of the deal, his agent has not had any official conversations with the Cowboys since the NFL Scouting Combine. It is hard to ascertain what Jones is attempting to accomplish here. Is he attempting to take full credit for retaining his star edge rusher? Is he attempting to appeal on a personal level to Micah Parsons and avoid having to negotiate with Mulugheta?

The latter is a possibility. Jerry Jones does not run from challenges, but he knows how to outsmart them. Last year, David Mulugheta negotiated over a billion dollars worth of NFL contracts for his clientele. He is the mastermind who secured Deshaun Watson’s expensive $230 million deal, additionally, he negotiated Jaycee Horn and Derek Stingley Jr’s contracts over the last month.

Jones understands that negotiating with Mulugheta will not be easy. A clear indication of this was when he denied knowing the name of Micah Parsons’s agent and denied he had a role to play in this present situation.

I’d rather pay more and get it right. That’s not something you should be worrying about. You should be worrying about your ability to make it work, and you should be worried about what the player does…The agent is not a factor here, of something to worry about. And I don’t know his name. And so my point is, I’m not trying to demean him in any way, but this isn’t about an agent. The agent doesn’t have one thing to do with what we’re doing when we get on the football field against a team. Micah does.

Jones added.

Jones dismissed the role of Mulugheta in the process. One thing is certain: once Mulugheta negotiates with Jones, he will ensure his client receives a record deal.

Jerry Jones can make or break Parsons’ will to be committed to Dallas. If by the end of April, he fails to offer an extension to the edge rusher, then it may be an indication that he is willing to let the linebacker play out the final season of his rookie deal. However, that is unlikely to be the case because Jones can end up making a surprise announcement of his extension days before the season starts.

1. Micah Parsons’s hunger to win

Over the past three seasons, the fans of the Dallas Cowboys have become practical and rational when it comes to thinking of their odds of winning. The Cowboys have struggled to get past the second round of the playoffs since Dak Prescott became their quarterback. The defense took a big hit with the departure of DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency.

Despite Micah Parsons and Lawrence going at it on social media, the latter’s statements had truth to them. The former defended the Cowboys online, but for a moment, he too, would have wondered about his chances of winning with the Cowboys.

‘If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together’ is an appropriate quote to use in this situation. Micah Parsons should think about the kind of career he wants to have. He will have a great career, but he must determine if he wants to be recognized as a champion or fall into the category of stars who came close to winning but failed to accomplish the ultimate feat.

Dallas will get Dak Prescott back this year, and they will have a team that can compete, but the question mark is regarding the performance of their new head coach, Brian Schottenheimer. Jones makes questionable decisions at times that hinder the team’s ability to win, and that is a trait he will not let go of.

Ultimately, Micah Parsons will need to take these factors into account before he makes his decision. The odds of him returning to Dallas are high because he is a loyal player and enjoys playing for America’s team. One thing is certain, if Jerry Jones lets Micah Parsons walk, then he will not hear the end of it from the team’s fanbase.