The Dallas Cowboys handily defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-17 in their Week One game, which also featured NFL legend Tom Brady in his debut as a Fox Sports broadcaster. Prior to the game, though, the Cowboys secured a big win for the future of their franchise by finally coming to an agreement on a contract extension with quarterback Dak Prescott.
After watching multiple quarterbacks sign extensions for $53+ million this summer, Prescott finally signed the deal that everyone expected he would get: $60 million a year. It was never a question of if he would get $60 million a year, it was a question of who would give it to him.
The fact of the matter is that Dallas would have faced a massive rebuild project without Prescott. After already giving wide receiver CeeDee Lamb $34 million a year, many wondered if they would be able to afford Prescott. The Cowboys, obviously, found a way. Now the only player left that they need to focus on extending in linebacker Micah Parsons.
What Will the Dallas Cowboys Have to Pay Micah Parsons?
Now that Prescott and Lamb are under contract for the next four years, the Cowboys’ next task is to extend Parsons. The former 2021 first-round pick has completed three NFL seasons, and his finished in the top three of Defensive Player of the Year voting each year. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 after posting 13.0 sacks and 84 tackles.
He had 13.5 sacks in 2022 and 14.0 last season as he continues to become better and better. In their game against the Browns in Week One on Sunday, he registered his first sack of the season and had five quarterback hits.
Needless to say, extending Parsons will not be cheap either. Earlier this summer, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones revealed that the star pass rusher wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. It was the same demand Lamb had before he settled for a deal worth $1 million less per year than the $35 million Justin Jefferson is making with the Minnesota Vikings.
Currently, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, with an average annual salary of $34 million.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Parsons will be looking for something similar.
Micah Parsons Has 1 Questions for Dak Prescott After He Signed His Contract with the Dallas Cowboys
After the game on Sunday, Prescott told reporters that a lot of his teammates came up to him and gave him the watch sizes, jokingly expecting the highest-paid player in NFL history to gift them a Rolex.
Parsons found the video clip and posted the following:
Dak you ain’t get mine wtf!!! @dak https://t.co/ArDJ0zSkm2
— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) September 9, 2024
In all seriousness, though, Parsons could not have been happier for Prescott. He told reporters, “I said, ‘Got D—!’ He didn’t cheat the game. He earned everything he got. Good things happen when you don’t cheat the game.”
When asked if he was next to sign a big extension, Parsons replied, “We’ll see. I just gotta keep doing what I’m doing. Keep working. Keep trying to be the best player I can be. And try to win championships. And they’ll probably throw me a little something on the side.”
It is worth noting that, while Prescott is in his fourth year, Dallas still has him for his fifth-year option in 2025, which gives them more time to work out an extension with him than they had with Lamb and Prescott.
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