He’s fierce. He’s fast. He’s been called a remarkable defensive talent. He just got a four-year deal for $80 million with $58 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. So pass rusher Micah Parsons is back in the …
… Wait a second. It’s not Parsons who got that contract?
No, it was defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
Please, don’t misunderstand the point. Odighizuwa is one of the best young defensive linemen in the NFL. He produces sleepless nights for players and coaching staffs alike. The Dallas Cowboys were right to keep him.
ESPN reported that the Cowboys were going to use the franchise tag on Odighizuwa if they didn’t reach an agreement before the end of Tuesday’s deadline. Odighizuwa also receives a $20 million signing bonus, according to the network.
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So this is a smart move.
It just begs the question: what is happening with Parsons? Is he next? Is something getting close to done?
Parsons is going to get a bigger deal than Odighizuwa. Right? He’s going to get that money from Dallas soon, right? Right?
Right?
To some in the league, Parsons is a generational talent that the Cowboys should have taken care of with a contract extension by now. This all seems really easy. Parsons should be made the highest paid edge player. See how simple that is? Or rather, it should be.
What’s the wait? That’s the big question.
Again, Odighizuwa is outstanding. He’s the type of player the Cowboys should lock up. He’s just 26 and his 54 quarterback pressures last year was second only to Parsons.
Yes, sign him.
But where’s Parsons’ deal? The Dallas Morning News recently reported that the Cowboys and Parsons have had ‘general conversations’ on a contract extension. Those talks need to be less general and more, well, complete. Extremely complete. Like, complete as all heck.
Parsons missed four games last year and still had 12 sacks.
One of the things Parsons does is he brings constant double teams which allows other players like Odighizuwa to prosper.
We know the Cowboys want to keep their stars. They did with quarterback Dak Prescott, who got $240 million, and did the same with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who got $136 million.
Is Parsons next?
Dallas: what are you waiting for?