There’s a good argument that there are now only a few accomplishments left for Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons that would make a complete career — pretty amazing considering he’s only headed into his fifth season.
Without those accomplishments, though, there’s going to probably always be an asterisk next to Parsons’ name, no matter how long he plays.
One of those is something everyone who plays in the NFL is chasing, which is a Super Bowl win.
Another of those is pretty unique to a player like Parsons, and if he goes his entire career without winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year you might even venture to say things didn’t go quite according to plan.
You might even venture to say it’s kind of a surprise he hasn’t won the award already, and if he had he might not be engaged in the nasty contract negotiation’s he’s currently in with the Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks Parsons is one of just a handful of NFL players who could unseat Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, the reigning NFL Defensive POY.
“Micah Parsons is already among the league’s best defenders,” Sobleski wrote on July 2. “He hasn’t won his first Defensive Player of the Year Award, though he’s been deserving … In truth, the 2021 12th overall draft pick has been exceptional from the moment he became a professional. Through four seasons, Parsons has amassed 52.5 sacks, with no fewer than 12 during any single campaign. He also has 63 tackles for loss and 112 quarterback hits.”
Oddsmakers Have Parsons as DPOY Favorite
Vegas oddsmakers have Parsons as one of a trio of favorites — all edge rushers — to win NFL Defensive POY alongside Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson and Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who won the award in 2022.
Parsons has finished as NFL Defensive POY runner-up twice, in 2021 and 2022, and finished third in 2023. In 2024, Parsons missed a career high 4 games as the Cowboys stumbled to a 7-10 finish, had a career low in sacks (12.0) and finished outside the Top 3 in NFL Defensive POY voting for the first time.
In the storied history of the Cowboys, only one player has won NFL Defensive POY — defensive end Harvey Martin in 1977.
Negotiations Between Parsons, Cowboys Getting Ugly
While Parsons has been a willing participant in Cowboys offseason workouts, there have been some contentious moments in his pursuit of what should be a record setting contract for a defensive player. It’s a deal that could exceed the 4-year, $160 million contract signed by Garrett on March 9.
From The Dallas Morning News: “Jones and (David) Mulugheta, the man who represents Parsons, have not met. Even though Mulugheta is regarded as one of the league’s more respected power brokers, Jones ruffled some feathers at the NFL’s annual meetings when he made a point — more than once — of saying he doesn’t even know the name of Parsons’ agent.”
Parsons has already played out the 4-year, $17 million rookie contract he signed in 2021 and is scheduled to make $24 million in 2025 on the fifth year option exercised by the Cowboys in April 2024.
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