Blogging The Boys
When do you think a Micah Parsons deal is going to happen?
Dallas Cowboys training camp is coming soon. And we all know what that means. The team is facing a big contract to complete with one of their star players. This year’s star is pass rusher Micah Parsons.
The expectation, based on history, is that things will drag out until the last moment, then Jerry Jones will overpay Parsons. Things are complicated by the situation the Pittsburgh Steelers have with T.J. Watt. They are locked in a similar negotiation. Whichever of the two EDGE rushers signs first should be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league - until the other gets his bag. You can be sure both Parsons’ and Watt’s camps are well aware of this, and in no hurry to get things done first.
But maybe it’s time for the Cowboys to take a different approach. David Howman and Tom Ryle discuss.
Tom: Let’s get radical. How about the team tells Parsons they are not going to do an extension at all?
I am sure a lot of people are reacting strongly to that. But consider some facts. Parsons is a top ten pass rusher, but many consider him to be barely in the top five, or even just outside. He has a clear tendency to pile up sacks against lesser opponents while largely disappearing in big games against better teams. Good offensive lines seem to have a way to neutralize him.
It’s time to have a real talk with him about needing to prove he can help the team win those big games. If not, it may be time to contemplate life without him. See if he would be open to a trade, or seeing how things stand next year.
Howman: Let me put this as politely as possible: no thank you.
Micah Parsons is, at best, the greatest pass rusher in the NFL and, at worst, one of the five best pass rushers in the NFL. Count me among the former, as his versatility to move all around the defense makes him more valuable than the Myles Garrett’s of the world.
Simply put, that’s not the kind of player you willingly part with. Jon Gruden was rightfully ridiculed for trading Khalil Mack when he was at the height of his powers, and look how that turned out for the Raiders. The Cowboys would have to be out of their minds, even more so than they usually are, to trade Parsons away.
Tom: A big part of my reasoning is that the Cowboys are caught between the rock of the salary cap and the hard place of having to try and pay both Parsons and Dak Prescott, with another decision looming on CeeDee Lamb. And I’ve come around to the idea that defense is just not the place to sink too much of that cap space. Frankly, the Steelers are in the same place with Watt. The huge amount of their cap they devote to defense...
