As expected, the Dallas Cowboys have officially picked up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option, according to a team announcement. The surprise, however, is Parsons’ designation.
Parsons will receive his option as a defensive end and not a linebacker, according to ESPN. In this situation, the Cowboys will save about $3 million. Parsons would earn $21,324 as a defensive end for the 2025 season if he plays under his option. He would make $24 million as a linebacker.
The Cowboys had until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option on 2021 first-round picks.
Labeling Parsons a defensive end is more than a cost-cutting measure. Technically, Parsons was used more as a defensive end than a linebacker last season. Just over 87 percent of Parsons’ regular-season snaps last year took place at the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus.
Micah Parsons Career Defensive Alignment
Defensive line |
41.3% |
81.1% |
87.2% |
Linebacker |
55.2% |
18.1% |
12.7% |
Defensive back |
3.5% |
0.8% |
0.1% |
*Data according to Pro Football Focus
This will likely be a moot point considering Parsons likely won’t play under his fifth-year option. Parsons is widely expected to receive a lucrative long-term contract by the start of the 2025 season. Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said as much Tuesday during Dallas’ pre-draft press conference . He highlighted Parsons as a player the team chose in the draft in the context of needing to pay quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Parsons’ most expensive deals, which will force the team to be creative and efficient in how they build support around their big three, given the salary cap.
“Sometimes great things happen to you [in the draft]” Jones said. “You get a Micah Parsons. Well, Micah Parsons is going to take a hat for getting Micah. And CeeDee too [Lamb] . All of that, I wouldn’t trade doing that for any job in the world and sitting here explaining what we do. So it’s not the smallest violin in the world sitting here, complaining or speaking on behalf of our fans. I just want to try to be good enough to get through this. And let’s have a winning season, and we’re lucky to have it.”
Parsons has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL since entering the NFL in 2021 as the 12th overall pick. Since then, the former first-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nominations, three All-Pro selections (two first-team nods and one second-team selection in 2023) and was named the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year . Parsons led the NFL in quarterback pressure rate (21.8%), quarterback pressures and pass win rate (35.%) in 2023. He did all this despite. double-teamed on 35% of his pass rushes, the most in the NFL according to the league’s Next Gen stats. No other Edge Rusher has teamed with a 30% or higher percentage like Parsons.
Along with Parsons, the Cowboys have contract decisions coming up with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is currently scheduled to play out his fifth-year option in 2024. Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year extension worth $160 million. Jones has made it clear he would like them both to remain Cowboys in the foreseeable future.