FRISCO, Texas — The Lion is back in the den, folks. Micah Parsons was absent for voluntary OTAs after being present to begin the offseason program, but there was never a doubt in his or the Cowboys' mind regarding his availability for mandatory minicamp in mid-June.
To that point, the three-time All-Pro pass rusher has officially reported to the team's headquarters, having undergone his physical on Monday, and is expected to do "some onfield work" as well.
When asked again about his intentions for minicamp and training camp, as he navigates his first-ever round of contract negotiations with the Cowboys, Parsons was unequivocal in his answer(s).
"[It's] for me and my relationship with our new head coach to understand where he's coming from and help him in any way I can to go on this run," he said at the start of the offseason program. "Schotty's showed up to my event, and Schotty's been around to try and build relationships. So I feel like we're at the point where if he asks her for me to come in for the leadership aspect, and to be around the guys, and show face, that's something I wanna do for my coach.
"I mean, for me, it's not really like walking the walk. It's just me. Like I always said, I've wanted to be a Cowboy and being here,I feel like it's really just being me. I've been as real as possible since I've been here."
Despite his absence in voluntary OTAs, Parsons has remained connected to the Cowboys' front office, coaching staff and locker room in a variety of ways, including traveling with his playbook and staying in constant communication with head coach Brian Schottenheimer — as well as a list of others.
One of the most recent exchanges between Parsons and Schottenheimer was publicized by way of a TikTok trend, with the latter giving an unexpected and authentic heartfelt message to the former.
"I know this is weird for everybody, but look, you're handling everything the right way bro," Schottenheimer told Parsons ahead of minicamp. "This thing is going to get worked out. … We're building something special and you're going to be a huge part of it."
He went on to explain the importance of Parsons showing up, in his press conference to kick off minicamp on Tuesday.
"No. 1, to have everybody here, perfect attendance is a good thing," he said. "I think it just shows you that he's serious about what we talked about, which is developing that leadership mentality, the mindset to be a guy that we can count on — not just the fourth quarter when he's got to make a big sack or get pressure on the quarterback, but just in general, throughout the course of the week. It's a long season, we all know that.
"My conversations with Micah have been great and, really, all the guys. But he's doing the things he's supposed to do, in terms of he's training, he's prepping ... and nobody is more excited than Micah about what we're building here, and he's excited to be back in the building doing it."
As it stands, Parsons is set to hit the Cowboys' salary cap in 2025 for just over $24 million if he enters the season under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, and millions in cap savings await the organization if a deal can get done beforehand — along with the accompanying guarantee that Parsons fully participates in training camp once he's in Oxnard.
It remains to be seen if that'll be the case, as negotiations are ongoing, but the latest step in proving his willingness and motivation to lead is now in the books: Parsons is in minicamp.
