Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Cowboys Go All-In For Micah Parsons (Cheaply) In 2025 Season With Move 1 Day Before Draft

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Jordan Sigler | Last updated 4/24/24

The Dallas Cowboys have been reluctant to extend any of their core players beyond the 2024 season, but they made one move Wednesday to secure Micah Parsons for the 2025 season. CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, and Parsons would like new contracts ahead of the upcoming season. Owner Jerry Jones is being careful with his wallet in an offseason he said the team would be all-in.

Jones made one decision to keep Parsons with Dallas through at least the 2025 season. On Wednesday, with one day to go before the start of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Cowboys announced their decision on whether or not to pick up their best defender’s fifth-year option.

The Dallas Cowboys pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option

According to Todd Archer with ESPN, the Cowboys picked up Parsons’ option for the 2025 season. The Cowboys will pay Parsons as a defensive end (less than what he’d make as a linebacker) since he played most of his snaps in that position. The Cowboys will pay Parsons over $21 million in the 2025 season.

The Cowboys have officially picked up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option for 2025 at a cost of $21.324 million, per source. The price is determined by the position where he took the most snaps in 2023, which was defensive end. Ultimately, team hopes to sign him to long-term deal.

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 24, 2024

The Cowboys have more work to do with their core

The Cowboys say they want to extend Parsons, Lamb, and Prescott, but they want to do so at a bargain. The bargain Jones is getting on Parsons for next season could disincentivize Jones from trying to get a deal done soon.

Jones also wants to keep those talented players on a roster he has depleted this offseason. Parsons doesn’t seem like the type of athlete who wants to give Jones a hometown price for a team that isn’t serious about winning championships.

Cowboys fans’ initial reactions to picking up the option

Here are the best initial reactions to Parsons’ fifth-year option being picked up.

Parsons is getting 35 per, regardless of when. He will be the only one of the 3 to reset the market

— the_truth_hurts (@dynomite_1331) April 24, 2024

Hell get the franchise tag in 2025
They will then over pay him with a 5 year contract that makes him the highest paid defensive player in 2026
as his Performance slowly wanes off into the late 2020's…. it's Zeke all over again.

— Baker Mayfield Statue (@statue_baker) April 24, 2024