In the ongoing saga surrounding the Dallas Cowboys, owner Jerry Jones often sidesteps the pressing issue of linebacker Micah Parsons deserving a new contract by stating that Parsons currently has a contract in place. However, the situation is more complex, as there is a significant dispute regarding the value of his deal.
According to a source familiar with the situation, a grievance was filed earlier this year concerning Parsons’s fifth-year option salary. The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL have set his salary at $21.324 million. In contrast, Parsons believes his salary should be higher, at $24 million. This discrepancy highlights a larger issue within the organization and the league.
Most resources, including the NFL Players Association public player salary database, already reflect Parsons as having a $24 million salary. However, from the NFL's official standpoint, the salary remains at the lower amount until the grievance is resolved. The root of the issue stems from the position Parsons is classified under by the Cowboys.
The Cowboys have designated Parsons as a defensive end, which corresponds to the $21.324 million salary. Conversely, Parsons asserts that he is a linebacker, justifying the higher salary figure. This classification carries significant implications, particularly given Parsons’s accolades; he won the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award as a linebacker and has been selected for the Pro Bowl in 2022, 2023, and 2024 in the same position (notably, he was snubbed for the 2021 Pro Bowl).
Parsons's impressive track record includes being a first-team Associated Press All-Pro linebacker in 2021 and a first-team All-Pro edge rusher in 2022, followed by a second-team All-Pro designation in 2023. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) stipulates that the fifth-year option salary is based on the position in which the player participated the most during their third league year. Consequently, the grievance hinges on a meticulous evaluation of whether Parsons played predominantly as a linebacker or a defensive end, play by play.
Given that linebackers frequently line up as edge rushers, the situation becomes increasingly convoluted. The ambiguity surrounding the classification of Parsons's position may not suffice to resolve the matter in favor of the Cowboys. Especially considering Parsons's firm belief that he is, and always has been, a linebacker, this dispute adds another layer of tension between him and the Cowboys as they enter the final year of his rookie deal.
As the conflict unfolds, there remains a notable $2.676 million gap between the salaries tied to the two positions. Whether this grievance will lead to a resolution favorable to Parsons or the Cowboys remains to be seen, but it certainly highlights the complexities of contract negotiations in the NFL.
