FRISCO – Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons has essentially vowed to not use as leverage a lengthy holdout as he works his way to a contract extension that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.
But not everybody believes him.
Cowboys fans feared the worst a few weeks ago as voluntary workouts approached with Parsons’ contract extension left unsigned. But …
Parsons reported for duty at the organization’s first day of voluntary practice on Monday to put all rumors about a potential holdout to rest.
At least temporarily.
In the last two weeks, Parsons has been “in and out” of the voluntary OTAs, per coach Brian Schottenheimer, who swears he is unconcerned.
Next week comes another round of OTAs here at The Star, and then on June 10, 11 and 12 comes mandatory work.
And if Micah ends up showing up, that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise … as doing so was his plan all along. … as CowboysCountry.com has previously reported.
“I’ve got to be around the guys,” Parsons said not long ago.
Would Parsons have liked his extension to be done by now? Surely. But that wasn’t going to change his mind about staying present in the locker room.
The All-Pro pass rusher mentioned the many factors that would play into him stepping into a leadership role this season … and they were key to his attendance (in and out though it’s been).
Said Micah: “There’s going to be rookies, there’s going to be free agents — guys that come here — you don’t know who’s going to be there, so there’s a chemistry part and people know what you can do, but people also got to see it from a leader aspect. So I still gotta be there for that part.”
It’s no secret that a massive conversation about Parsons’ new deal is his ability to grow as a leader – on and off the field.
But especially off it. The Cowboys saw two decade-long veterans leave the team this offseason, filling a leadership void in the locker room that only a player like Micah can fill.
That is exactly what owner Jerry Jones and first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer have asked him to do. So far, so good …
“I definitely think I need to be here in camp because, honestly, when so much of the defense is surrounded by your play and your presence, and others are getting lined up based off of you, I need to be here so that way I can get these guys accordingly,” said Parsons. “We can rush together, build that chemistry.”
“So I think it’s of extreme importance that I’m back at OTAs and minicamp …”
And yet the questions loom while he awaits a deal that might pay him $40 million APY.
ESPN this week writes, “Parsons has been around for parts of the offseason. The next key date will be the mandatory minicamp that runs June 10-12. (CeeDee) Lamb skipped that last year. Could Parsons do the same this year?”
It’s a fair-enough question, we suppose … assuming we can’t take Micah Parsons at his own word.
