Sportsnaut
Football is finally in the air again as Dallas Cowboys training camp kicks off July 22. One of the hottest topics entering camp is the situation surrounding Micah Parsons’ contract.
The two-time All-Pro pass-rusher is headed into the final year of his contract, and he’s set to earn $24 million, which is a massive increase over the $5.4 million cap hit from 2024. Still, those numbers are paltry compared to what the 26-year-old four-time Pro Bowler is set to earn on his next deal, especially considering Pittsburgh Steelers superstar T.J. Watt just reset the market with an NFL record $41 million average for pass-rushers.
Odds are, Parsons and the Cowboys will eventually come to a contract agreement that keeps him in Dallas for several more years to come. Yet, most teams would already have locked one of their biggest franchise cornerstones in, long before the eve of training camp.
While other stars may begin a contract holdout if they are entering a contract year, Parsons is already in Oxnard, ready to begin camp with his team. In a perfect world, he’d already have a contract extension in place, yet this situation has been filled with drama.
It didn’t help when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stoked the flames on Monday with his controversial comments regarding Dak Prescott and Parsons, who both missed time due to injury last season. That’s when Jones got a bit testy.
For the record, Parsons didn’t miss six games last year. He was out for four of them, and he still recorded his fourth consecutive double-digit sack season (12).
While Jones’s comments were eye-opening, so was what happened afterward, when future Hall of Famer and former Houston Texans legend J.J. Watt was critical of the Cowboys’ owner’s comments on X.
Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it…
Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you. https://t.co/iaaBk6kfmo
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 21, 2025
Perhaps the craziest part about it all is the fact that Parsons retweeted Watt’s comments, clearly taking the side that goes against the man who cuts his checks. In other words, Parsons is clearly miffed.
Related: Terry McLaurin Considering Holdout or Trade Request From Washington Commanders
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