Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons missed voluntary team activities earlier this offseason as the Pro Bowler angles for a new contract.
The word voluntary means that this isn’t necessarily a big deal. But he’s one of several Cowboys stars who are in need of new contracts heading into the 2024 season.
Parsons, 25, is under contract for the next two seasons after Dallas picked up the option on his deal for the 2025 campaign.
The situation is not as urgent as what we’re seeing with quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, both of whom are entering the final years of their current deals. In fact, Lamb is a holdout from mandatory minicamp.
In talking about his own situation with reporters on Tuesday, Parsons explained that his absence from voluntary activities was as much to do with his body as his current contract situation.
“Yeah, you know, I think the more years you have, the more you understand that there’s also like the business side to it. You know, and I think that’s what camp is for. I mean, there was a time where Aaron Donald didn’t even go to camp and he won Defensive Player of the Year and then went to the playoffs. Like, are we forgetting these times?
Like we wasn’t talking about the best defensive player wasn’t even in camp. And we’re in minicamps. Voluntary at that. So you know, (mini)camp was something that is mandatory. So, I’m just looking at it as a time for my body to heal.”
Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, via Jane Slater of NFL Media
Parsons added that being an undersized pass rusher also played a role in his absence. He’s simply attempting to prepare for the season. Whether he’s playing the media game remains to be seen.
Related: NFL insider reveals holdup in CeeDee Lamb’s extension with Dallas Cowboys
Could drama be brewing between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys?
It was earlier in the offseason that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy called Parsons out over his absence from voluntary OTAs.
“I think any time that you have a chance to be together, it’s an opportunity to improve,” McCarthy said last week. “Whether it’s in the mental realm, the physical realm and the emotional connection and so forth. It’s a long year. Training camp is really the heightened focus for all of that, but it’s definitely an opportunity that’s been missed [for Parsons].”
Parsons is angling for a new deal that would make him one of the highest-paid defenders in the game. That is to say, similar to the $34 million fellow pass rusher Nick Bosa is earning with the San Francisco 49ers.