Cowboys’ Stephen Jones ‘can’t imagine’ Micah Parsons not in Dallas as pass rusher faces pivotal offseason

The Dallas Cowboys are not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention as they enter Week 15 at 5-8, but dreams of reaching the postseason are dwindling. As that door starts to close, eyes are now starting to pivot to what is expected to be a monumental offseason in Dallas. Of course, part of that storyline will center around a possible coaching change, but from a roster standpoint, the key figure is Micah Parsons. 

The star pass rusher is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 after the Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option last spring. While Dallas has Parsons secure through next season, he’s the latest star player due for an extension, and it is widely assumed that the 25-year-old All-Pro could reset the market. But will Dallas be the team that hands him that type of contract? 

“We love Micah,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told NFL.com Wednesday after the NFL’s winter league meeting. “I can’t imagine there’s a scenario where he’s not wearing a star on his helmet.”

That was the answer to a question specifically asked as to whether or not the Cowboys could end up trading Parsons if they cannot come to terms on an extension. As Jones told NFL Media, the Cowboys are going to meet this offseason and explore the effects of signing big-money, high-profile players and what that does to the rest of the roster. 

If they come out of that meeting with the conclusion that the club is better off signing more middle-of-the-road players to increase the floor of the overall roster instead of routinely going all in on specific top players, that does seem to put Parsons in a precarious position. 

“I think that’s a balancing act that you always got to look at,” Jones said. “Especially when you’re good, good players get hurt and are not on the field. It totally magnifies the issue if you lose guys like Dak [Presscott], and [Trevon] Diggs misses games, Zack Martin misses games, and it’s going to magnify something like that. You’re going to say, ‘God, are we smart having this much money tied into the top five to 10 players?'”

According to Over the Cap’s projections, the Cowboys are expected to have roughly $22 million in cap space this coming offseason.