The Dallas Cowboys are preparing for their first season under Brian Schottenheimer and the first step is the team’s voluntary OTA workouts this week. While notable faces such as CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott are in attendance, there’s a notable face that’s not in star edge rusher Micah Parsons.
Parsons is skipping this week’s workouts as he seeks a new contract and the Cowboys are continuing their tradition of waiting until the last minute to get the deal done. While his teammates are laying the foundation for next season, Schottenheimer revealed what Parsons is doing with his spare time instead of leading his teammates for a rebound year in 2025.
Brian Schottenheimer Ran Into Micah Parsons at the Airport Ahead of OTAs
Schottenheimer confirmed Parsons’s absence while speaking to reporters on Thursday and revealed that he had lunch with his star defender at the airport last week. While it’s unclear who picked up the bill, Schottenheimer repeated that this round of workouts are voluntary and noted that Schottenheimer was “traveling” instead of reporting to the Ford Center.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he has not seen Micah Parsons this week. They had lunch last week. Schottenheimer repeats that OTAs are voluntary pic.twitter.com/OrzrZfn6ta
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 29, 2025
Parsons’s absence isn’t uncommon for players seeking a new contract. Parsons is due for a top-of-the-market deal after collecting 52.5 sacks in his first four seasons in the NFL and is entering his fifth-year option where he’s slated to get paid $24 million. Instead of risking an injury that would derail his quest for a new deal, it makes sense for Parsons to sit on the sideline. But this is a different situation than in years past.
The Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 7-10 season and are adapting to plenty of new coaches including Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. With fellow defensive starters Demarcus Lawrence (Seattle Seahawks) and Jourdan Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars) leaving in free agency, Parsons is one of the leaders on a defense that ranked 31st in points allowed and allowed the fifth-most yards per play (5.8) last season.
To improve, the Cowboys will need all hands on deck – even if the workouts are technically voluntary. Perhaps this is on Jerry Jones and the rest of the front office for not getting Parsons’s deal done. But as time ticks away, Schottenheimer is losing precious time with one of his biggest contributors during this week’s workouts.