How unanimous is the sentiment that Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is wholly deserving of a record-setting contract extension this offseason?
The guy already listed as the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player is lobbying for Parsons to surpass him.
Myles Garrett, the Browns’ four-time first-team All-Pro defensive end and current owner of a bar-setting $40 million-per-year deal, was in his native Arlington over the weekend to throw out the first pitch at Sunday’s Texas Rangers game. While fulfilling those duties, the sack artist entering his ninth pro season was asked about the 26-year-old phenom who plays his home games right next door and is expecting a payday that could go well north of his own.
“I think he deserves whatever he’s earned. I mean, the guy is special,” Garrett told Abby Jones of DLLS Sports. “Once I got the chance to train with him, I’ve seen his work ethic, I’ve seen how he attacks the weights, running. He’s 100 percent committed to his craft and getting better every day, and [he’s] someone who produces on the field and has that level of dedication to the game. He should get every penny he’s owed.”
That number currently stands at $24.007 million, the result of the Cowboys exercising the fifth-year option on the former first-round pick. But Parsons’s talent is certainly on par with both Garrett and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, who are collectively considered by nearly everyone as the top three pass rushers in the sport.
Like Parsons, Watt is also seeking a contract extension. Whoever signs a new deal first could easily top Garrett’s annual salary; the next guy in line stands to earn still more.
Garrett has compiled 102.5 sacks, 250 solo tackles, and 20 forced fumbles in 117 regular-season games. Parsons is on a similar pace over about half as many career games: 52.5 sacks, 172 solo stops, and nine forced fumbles in 63 contests.
Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have reportedly spoken and even come to a basic agreement on the general terms of an extension, but Jones has not gone through Parsons’s agent to finalize those details or make anything official. Parsons showed up for the team’s mandatory minicamp last week but didn’t do much in the way of practicing.
The four-time Pro Bowler said his plan was to attend training camp in July, but he is not sure if he’ll risk injury by participating in those practices in Oxnard, Calif. without an extension beyond the 2025 season.
Parsons told Clarence Hill, Jr. of DLLS that if the Cowboys front office is going to wait and drag out the negotiations, “It’s going to cost them more.”
And according to the man making more than any defender in the league, Parsons is worth it.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: $40M defender supports Micah Parsons’ contract bid: ‘He should get every penny he’s owed’
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
