Today is officially Super Bowl Sunday and the Dallas Cowboys are obviously not a part of it. If they fail to reach this point a year from now they will officially see their drought, no air quotes required, reach 30 years which is remarkable given that when they won Super Bowl XXX it was their fifth title in franchise history and eighth appearance in the big game.
There is a lot of work to be done, putting it mildly, if Dallas wants to be playing next February, and the hope is that new head coach Brian Schottenheimer is the right man for the job. Things will obviously start with getting the offense back on track and likely include establishing a legitimate run game, but ensuring that the defense remains respectable will also be of critical importance.
Matt Eberflus is the new defensive coordinator, and while he has been with the team before, he never had the chance to be on staff while Micah Parsons has been on the team. It stands to reason that Flus is excited to coach Parsons, but if recent reports are to be believed he may never get the chance.
As it is Super Bowl Sunday, it is the biggest moment in which NFL insiders can drop nuggets of information to percolate as the offseason begins across the entire league on Monday morning. This particular day saw NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport and Co. discuss the situation in the NFL involving high-profile pass rushers and how this is going to be an offseason where several of them could get paid.
Micah Parsons was first eligible for a contract extension last year and the Cowboys did not get anything done with him. Getting in early on these things is not really their game these days. You do not need a reminder at how difficult last offseason was for Dallas with regards to long-term extensions as they went all the way up to the eleventh hour with both CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
At the moment, Parsons is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract with the team, his fifth-year option year. An extension seems logical for him given that he has been an absolute superstar from just about Day 1. According to Rapoport though, the Cowboys have had some internal conversations about trading him.
Normally open with his opinions, the Cowboys’ 25-year-old superstar hasn’t said much of anything about the team’s promotion of Brian Schottenheimer after a surprise parting of ways with head coach Mike McCarthy — a move Parsons called “devastating.” While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king’s ransom. If the Cowboys are willing to listen, they may get it. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones told NFL.com in December that the team will study the wisdom of having so much money invested in so few players, but added: “I can’t imagine there’s a scenario where he’s not wearing a star on his helmet.” Parsons is due about $24 million on the fifth-year option year on his rookie contract in 2025
Suggesting trading Parsons right now is a difficult thing for DFW loyalists to take given last weekend’s trade from the Dallas Mavericks in moving Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Trading Parsons would be similarly unfathomable. It is difficult to justify it, even hypothetically.
Speaking in a vacuum, it isn’t absurd to at least have these conversations among the most trusted people in the team’s brain-trust, though. If you are willing to consider all options then you must consider all options.
The NFL Media report touches on the pass rusher situation as a whole across the league, and as noted there are several players due for potential paydays. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett is on record for wanting a trade, Raiders star Maxx Crosby could get a deal and Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson is another candidate, especially after just leading the league in sacks.
This is why it would have been ideal for the Cowboys to take care of this situation last offseason. In delaying this whole thing they accomplished nothing and handed Parsons all the leverage, especially with the market now working out in his favor to a larger degree than last year. It would behoove the Cowboys to get this done as soon as possible.