FRISCO, Texas -- Many Dallas Cowboys fans were disgusted this offseason when owner and general manager Jerry Jones pivoted the team's motto from "all in" to "get it done with less."
Cowboys All-Pro rusher Micah Parsons has a different perspective, knowing what is on the horizon. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, who became the first Cowboys QB to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns outright (36 in 2023) and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who led the NFL with 135 catches last season, are entering the final year of their current contracts in 2024. He stumped for Lamb to reset the wide receiver and non-quarterback contract markets by earning $36 million in an average per year salary, which would beat out Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson's four-year, $140 million extension ($35 million average per year) for the top spot in both contractual categories.
"It doesn't disappoint me," Parsons said at Cowboys' mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. "If you figure out how the money goes and how the contract goes, you kind of understand that business side. I think CeeDee takes up the value of two or three players. You're talking about $30 million-plus per year. If you do that, how can you afford to pay CeeDee Lamb? That goes on for other guys potentially."
That list of other guys outside of Prescott and Lamb down the road could include 2023 First Team All-Pros -- cornerback DaRon Bland and kicker Brandon Aubrey -- as well as a couple first-time Pro Bowlers in 2023 -- tight end Jake Ferguson and left guard Tyler Smith.
"We have seven All-Pros or whatever the count may be, it might be more, it might be less," Parsons said. "We got at least three guys I know can be All-Pro. I think (tight end Jake) Ferguson can be an All-Pro guy. I think a lot of guys are set to have a breakout here. I think that plays into account too. Tyler Smith, I think he'll be First Team All-Pro, and you have to think about him towards the future. When you talk about all these guys, it just needs to say 'hey, when are the other guys going to step up and be better for the team?' ... I like what we're doing. I think just being out here today, people are definitely going to be very surprised how good we really are."
Jones has also spoken about earmarking money to extend Parsons to a deal that the All-Pro edge rusher himself figures will be a market-resetting contract that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history based on how the salary cap continues to increase with the league's new media rights deal.
Parsons led the NFL in quarterback pressures (103), pass-rush win rate (35.3%) and quarterback pressure rate (21.8%) in 2023. He also wracked up a career-best 14.0 sacks, tied for the seventh-most in the league with 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Parsons accomplished all of this while being double-teamed on 35% of his pass rushes last season, the most in the NFL among edge players, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. There wasn't another edge rusher in the NFL who was double-teamed at a rate of 30% or higher in 2023.
"One day," Parsons said of his future pay day. "Time will tell. I can't really put a timetable on mine. All I have to do is keep getting sacks and that stuff will handle itself."
