Dallas Cowboys fans are staring down a season shrouded in contract drama as Micah Parsons fights to stay in Dallas. With the team set to open the season two weeks from Thursday against the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles, a lingering contract dispute and a trade request continue to loom over Parsons and the franchise.
Analysts have floated a path where Dallas and Parsons ride out the 2025 season with no new long-term deal, then use the franchise tag next offseason to keep him under control while exploring a possible trade. One widely discussed scenario suggests the Cowboys would apply the franchise tag, estimated at about 26.5 million dollars for a defensive end, before re-evaluating a long-term agreement or seeking a trade partner if an extension remains out of reach.
The gist is that Parsons’ camp is believed to value him at more than 40 million dollars per year on the open market, making any immediate extension a high-stakes negotiation. If Dallas can’t come to terms, applying the franchise tag would allow them to keep Parsons for another year while preserving options—either to sign him long-term later or to move him if a deal can’t be reached.
This plan wouldn’t come without tension. If Parsons is unhappy but still plays under the tag, it could lead to awkward dynamics during the season. Yet Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would likely prefer having Parsons on the field, even if it means navigating a protracted and delicate negotiation that could extend well into 2025.
What this means for the season is simple: Parsons remains a centerpiece for a Cowboys defense that will need to maintain elite play in his absence or presence. The opening matchup against the Eagles promises to add fuel to the saga, turning every defensive snap into a referendum on Parsons’s future with the franchise.
What to watch this season
– Parsons’s status and involvement week to week as contract talks continue.
– Whether a long-term extension materializes or if the franchise tag becomes the default plan.
– The potential ripple effects on Dallas’s cap room and future trade discussions.
– The dynamic between Parsons and the organization as the season unfolds.
In the big-picture view, the Cowboys are choosing a path that buys time and flexibility. If a deal comes together, Parsons could anchor Dallas’s defense for years; if not, the trade market may become the next chapter in a saga that shows no signs of ending soon. The road ahead may be bumpy, but it also offers the possibility of a resolved, brighter outcome for a Cowboys team counting on Parsons to lead the way.