The Dallas Cowboys missed the postseason during the 2024 campaign after an injury to star quarterback Dak Prescott threw a wrench in their plans. Ultimately, the team's failure to make a playoff push led to a change being made on the sidelines and, while still early in the process, it appears as though to decision to put Brian Shottenheimer in charge as the team's head coach is already paying off.
There is no denying the talent that Micah Parsons has as an individual player and that alone helps raise the floor for the Cowboys on the defensive side of the football. While that is all well and good, Schottenheimer wanted more out of his All-Pro defender as a leader on and off of the field and has been vocal about it since taking over in Dallas.
Obviously, there is still a ways to go before training camp and the regular season kicks off but Parsons seems to be more than up to the task of accepting more of a leadership role to this point and he showed that by attending voluntary offseason workouts, something he hasn't regularly done in the past.
With Parsons already showing he is willing to do his part, Schottenheimer is confident that a deal will get done in short order so that the star defender can get back to focusing on football.
"Micah has said all along that he plans on being there. Again, it's a business, right? There's a lot of factors that go into a deal," Schottenheimer said at the league's annual meeting, per NFL.com. "There are two sides in every negotiation, it's not just our side, it's Micah's side. This is an opportunity for Micah, especially, with some of the guys that we lost as leadership for Micah to step up. He's excited about that. He wants to have more leadership responsibility.
"So, again, we have a ton of time, and we'll take it day-by-day. Again, my conversations with Micah have been great and I think he's in a good spot. It's business, as he understands."
Being around the game as long as Schottenheimer has, he is as eager for Parsons to get a new deal done with the franchise as anyone as the sooner this is all taken care of, the better.
"I think the biggest thing is don't let it be a distraction," Schottenheimer said when discussing the outlook of a new deal with Parsons. "It's going to get done. [In 2023], it was Zack (Martin). You know this is something you are seeing more and more, it's not just the Cowboys that deal with this, it's league-wide, right? The hold-ins or whatever they are calling them; don't let it be a distraction. They are professional athletes. The deal is going to get done. Of course, we like deals done sooner rather than later. There are two sides to every negotiation. Just know when they get back, if they are the right type of person, which the guys we are talking about are, that they'll be ready to play."
Whenever that time comes and Parsons makes things official, Schottenheimer is ready to unleash the beast that the All-Pro pass rusher has inside of him on the rest of the NFL for years to come.
"He's an elite player," Schottenheimer said after shooting down any concerns of a deal potentially not getting done. "He's a guy we think can wreak havoc on opposing offenses for a long time in a Cowboys uniform."
With Parsons already buying in and showing he is willing to be the leader that Schottenheimer wants him to be, the sky is the limit for the former No. 12 overall pick.