The Dallas Cowboys open training camp on July 20, with the team's first open practice coming on July 22.
As of this writing, the likelihood that All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons will be in uniform and on the field participating in drills with his teammates seems slim, as the defensive star and the front office have yet to work out a contract extension.
While Parsons has kept things civil when discussing these negotiations up to this point, his tone noticeably changed during a recent interview when the topic was broached again.
Approach by Parsons to Cowboys Extension Talks Takes Aggressive Turn
After months of saying he knows he needs to be patient, Parsons is done playing games and said as much when discussing his mindset regarding a new contract.
“I’m just going to get mine no matter what [happens with other top pass rushers seeking deals],” Parsons said Tuesday after his camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, via Nick Farabaugh of pennlive.com.
“I just work harder,” Parsons said of not having a deal completed yet. “Like, to me, I look at it like if people don’t see your value, you don’t cry and sit down. You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that’s the difference. Like I go, ‘OK, bet,’ and I just work.”
In his own words, Parsons knows he is going to get his money at the end of the day, whether that happens in Dallas or elsewhere. He also made sure to note that anyone who doubts his value adds fuel to his fire. To put it plainly, this isn't the tone that fans or coaches in Dallas were hoping to hear from the team's star defender at this stage of the offseason.
Sometimes you can only play the role of the "nice guy" in negotiations for so long before reality sets in and the desire to get a deal done in a timely manner is more apparent. We have reached that stage of extension negotiations between Parsons and the Cowboys front office with training camp less than a week away.
The fact that it has taken this long for the two sides to agree on a deal is puzzling for several reasons. Beyond the undeniable fact that Parsons is one of the best defenders in the NFL today, his 256 total tackles and 53.5 quarterback sacks over his four-year career speak for themselves.
He is also a model citizen whom the Cowboys should be proud to have represent their franchise both on and off the field. Again, locking down a player and person like that with a long-term deal should be a no-brainer.
Without a new deal in his back pocket, it seems unlikely that Parsons will elect to take the field and participate in training camp once things get going in Oxnard, CA. Given everything he has already proven to Dallas' front office and the rest of the league since being selected with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, it's hard to blame Parsons for the change in his tone.