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No doubt, it is a challenge for the Cowboys to put together a sensible payroll with the star power they employ. Dak Prescott is the highest paid player in the history of the NFL, on a four-year, $240 million contract. The structure of his contract calls for him to be paid–gulp–$90 million next year.
CeeDee Lamb is the second-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, at $136 million over four years.
Now, Micah Parsons is in line to join them among the highest-paid players at their positions. Parsons is a three-time Pro Bowler who has finished in the Top 3 in Defensive Player of the Year voting for three straight seasons. He could well top the five-year, $170 million contract the 49ers gave to pass rusher Nick Bosa before last season.
That could, potentially, put the Cowboys in a position in which they’re paying three players somewhere in the . With the salary cap slated to come in at about $270 million next year, that means the Cowboys could spend $160 million on three players and $110 million on the other 50 players.
This is why the prospect of trading away Parsons rather than paying him a Bosa-like salary has cropped up repeatedly.
Cowboys Have Much to Consider
This became a hot issue on Sunday with a report from NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, who suggested that the Cowboys have not “closed the door” on a trade of Parsons.
Rapoport wrote on Sunday morning: “That question brings us to the Parsons matter — the elephant in the room. Parsons has been clear since the beginning that he doesn’t want to go anywhere else. He told NFL Network on the red carpet for this past February’s NFL Honors, ‘I hope I’m a Cowboy for life.’ And whenever asked since, he’s offered a strong version of those intentions.
“But Parsons is also entering the last year of his rookie deal in 2025, a fifth-year option worth more than $24 million.”
He did not directly say that Parsons is on the trade block, but he indicated it–no fire, but there is smoke. Team VP Stephen Jones quelled some of the talk in the Cowboys’ pregame show, saying that he did not imagine the Cowboys trading Parsons.
Micah Parsons Trade: ‘No Hard Feelings’
Parsons, for his part, has always been laid-back when it comes to his next contract, which will provide a sizable bump over his rookie deal, no matter where it comes. He has expressed no frustration with the Cowboys, even as the team has faced a heap of adversity in this trying season.
“I understand how that business side goes,” Parsons said on Sunday. “Listen, no hard feelings in this business whether I’m here or anywhere else. Obviously, I’ve stated how I wanted to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side, and I put in a lot of work. I play hard, too.
“Obviously, if sides can’t agree to those types of things, it happens like that. But I’m just happy to be here, and I’m just going to be playing hard while I’m here. If I’m here for the next five, six years, I’m going to keep playing hard. Then, too, ain’t really nothing going to make a difference. Micah going to play hard.”
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Cowboys Micah Parsons Speaks Out as Trade Chatter Heats Up