According to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News, the Dallas Cowboys are picking up Micah Parsons‘ rookie contract’s fifth-year option and identifying him as a defensive end rather than a linebacker. This move will allegedly cost the team slightly under $3 million.
In 2025, the last year of his rookie contract, Parsons would make slightly more than $24 million as a linebacker, according to that report. His 2025 pay as a defensive end will be $21.32 million.
Before his fifth-year option becomes active for the 2025 season, Parsons will be under contract for the 2024 season at a basic salary of $2.9 million plus a $2.4 million signing bonus.
Can Parsons be classified as a LB or DE ?
Regarding position classification, the elite pass-rusher is a special example because he plays all over the field and was first selected as a linebacker. But as the 2023 season came to an end, he finished with 14 sacks, 18 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, making him one of the NFL’s most successful pressing quarterbacks.
Pro Football Focus (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk) reports that Parsons spent 87.8% of his snaps in 2023 at the defensive end. Thus, there’s a chance the Cowboys might prevail in the grievance his agent, David Mulugheta, filed over the positional categorization.
Of course, if the two sides can reach a long-term agreement before his fifth-year option becomes active, then all of this will be irrelevant.
It’s difficult to think the Cowboys won’t push for that result given that Parsons has developed as one of the NFL’s most notable game-changing talents, though it’s probable that he will look to sign a contract that would make him the most paid defender in league history.
Nick Bosa now holds that distinction. He signed a five-year, $170 million contract before the 2023 campaign, which is the highest of any defensive player’s total earnings, average yearly value ($50 million), and money guaranteed upon signing ($88 million).
