FRISCO, Texas – This can be a tad dangerous, but it's only June 11, 2025 – by the way, 81 years and three days since my dear ol' dad landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy during WWII, known as D-Day II – so thought time to lend some common sense, if indeed that's allowed into this Micah Parsons contract discussion.
The Cowboys don't leave for training camp for another 39 days, July 20. They won't have their first practice in pads for another 46 days. They will not play a game until Sept. 4. That's 85 days away.
Yet we breathlessly report that Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent 28 minutes in the far end zone of the practice field on Tuesday, the first day of the three-day minicamp that continued out here at The Star on Wednesday, just jabbering. Can only take Micah's word for it, saying they spoke about everything under the sun, except the contract. Oh, to have been the goal line at the time.
So let me inject this. While Micah certainly wants to be paid among the highest, if not the highest, non-quarterback players in the NFL, and certainly wants to avoid playing the 2025 season on the final year of his rookie contract, let's boldly point out he is under contract. And one of the main reasons he is attending this mandatory three-day affair that concludes on Thursday is that he could be subjected to fines for missing all three days, totaling $104,768, if he didn't.
That's right, Micah is under the fifth-year option teams are allowed to pick up on first-round draft choices, where the Cowboys selected Micah at No. 12 in 2021. His rights are retained for one year, at a guaranteed $24 million. That means he would get paid $1.333 million a week for 18 weeks once the season begins. Now, if he signs a contract tomorrow, he could immediately bank at least that, if not double, in the signing bonus alone.
Not sure there is any cause for any red-blooded American to pass up $1.333 million a week by withholding services, meaning missing games. Of course, maybe I'm jaded, and probably am, having witnessed countless holdouts or even hold-ins (attending workouts without working out).
After being a watcher on Tuesday, saying he had some back tightness, Micah participated in individual drills on Wednesday, helmet and all, and then in a rousing king of the hill ping-pong locker room session, nearly the entire team watched him square off against rookie defensive tackle Jay Toia, with teammates hootin' and hollerin' after each point.
(Timeout: Saw head coach Brian Schottenheimer in the background with a big grin on his face, knowing this little episode helping to build his culture and competition under pressure, the rookie never backing off from the challenge.)
OK, contracts. Can take you back to Tony Dorsett in 1985 missing the first 20 days of training camp in a contract dispute before reporting. We waited breathlessly for his arrival at Cal-Lutheran when he finally settled. Dorsett didn't miss a game that year, ran for 1,307 yards, his final 1,000-yard season in the NFL.
Why, in 1990 the Cowboys' top two draft choices, Emmitt Smith in the first, Alexander Wright the first pick in the second, missed all of training camp in contract disputes. Emmitt signed the Tuesday before the season opener. Wright signed on Aug. 25 after missing all of training camp.
In 1992, Michael Irvin ended his holdout on Sept 4, three days prior to the Cowboys' Monday Night Football season opener against Washington. Some would say no way Michael would miss a paycheck. I say no way he was going to miss national TV limelight exposure.
There have been more of these lengthy negotiating brawls of late: CeeDee Lamb just this past season. Zack Martin too. Ezekiel Elliott in 2019, Dez Bryant that offseason of 2015, the franchised player signing a long-term deal two days prior to the deadline.
Can recall only two players ever stubbornly carrying their holdouts into the season: Emmitt again in 1993, missing the first two games, and linebacker Darrin Smith in 1995, a restricted free agent not wanting to play on the one-year tender, missing the first seven games of the season but returning for the mandatory nine to earn a year's credit. He then signed a one-year deal in 1996 before leaving in 1997 as an unrestricted free agent.
So now, as for Parsons, let's chill. His representatives are likely waiting until they see what holdouts T.J. Watt and potentially Trey Hendrickson might get paid, which could reset the market and knowing they've got at least the $24 million in their back pocket. My guess is the Cowboys would sign Parsons today, but at their numbers.
Point is, don't hold your breath over all this.
- Digging In: Now, to me, this one is different and more concerning. Trevon Diggs is rehabbing his rare knee surgery labeled "chondral tissue graft," which was explained to me like filling in a pothole divot with some bone and cartilage of the left knee. This is the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2023. Diggs has been doing his rehab off campus in Miami, leaving him susceptible to having his guaranteed $9 million base salary reduced by a $500,000 de-escalator clause in his contract for not participating in 84 percent of the offseason workouts under the Cowboys' training staff. Seems he's willing risk that deduction while rehabbing on his own. Sounds as if the Cowboys are keeping tabs on his workouts and are mildly satisfied. He has done rehab work the first two minicamp days at The Star with Cowboys rehab specialist Britt Brown, giving the team an up-close look at just where he is. Also, Diggs has a per-game bonus in his contract worth $1 million if active for all 17 games, that's $58,823 a game. Take last year. Missing the final six games lowered that bonus to $647,000. While Diggs is here for the mandatory minicamp, he'll almost assuredly start training camp on the PUP list, allowing the Cowboys to rehab and condition him for several weeks. And if he is not ready to start the season, he'll remain on PUP for the mandatory four weeks and possibly two more for conditioning, meaning he will reduce his per-game bonus again, plus lower the percentage chances of attaining his yearly interception bonus worth $300,000 for five interceptions that would go to $600,000 for seven. Definitely makes no cents.
- Side-Eye Look: Bet the Cowboys are tracking the free agent cornerback market with Diggs a question mark to start the season on time. Then there is third-round pick Shavon Revel rehabbing the torn ACL he suffered three games into East Carolina's schedule last year. He has a chance to be ready for the season, but then you never know for sure. And second-year cornerback Josh Butler, who played five games last season, starting three, before suffering a torn ACL in early December, is a likely PUP candidate at least for the start of training camp. The Cowboys are betting on fourth-year corner Kaiir Elam, acquired in a trade from Buffalo, to contribute, if not start. But in the meantime, with Green Bay releasing veteran corner Jaire Alexander this week for various reasons, including salary cap and injury concerns, the Cowboys for the right price could be interested.
- Second-Round Conundrum: Un-signed Cowboys second-round draft choice Donovan Ezeiruaku is caught in a player-agent battle. Only the first two picks in the 2025 NFL Draft's second round are signed, causing this backlash since both were signed to unheard of guaranteed contracts for second-round picks. Now all the agents for the other 30 second-rounders feel obligated to ask for the same guarantee with teams holding the line against such a notion. The projected package slotted for Ezeiruaku's 44th pick is roughly $10 million over four years, including at least a $1.5 million signing bonus. Said Ezeiruaku, "I'm here doing what I have to do every single day. That's between the organization and my agent. I have full faith that they're going to get that done. When it's ready, it'll be ready, and I'll sign that piece of paper." Evidently, he's doing a lot already, since Schottenheimer prefaced his performance so far with about five "reallys" before "great."
- Mini-Shots: Condolences to the family and friends of former Cowboys center Tom Rafferty, who recently passed away at the age of 70. Raff was a 1976 fourth-round draft choice out of Penn State, one of seven players having played 14 seasons in Dallas with only five having played more. Jason Witten and L.P. Ladouceur top the list at 16 seasons … As for second-year quarterback Joe Milton, Schottenheimer said when asked if they want him to replicate Prescott, "We want Joe to be the best version of himself." … With the starting five on the offensive line seemingly set with first -round pick Tyler Booker replacing Martin at right guard, here is how the Cowboys' second unit has been setting up this week from left to right: Asim Richards, T.J. Bass, Dakota Shepley, Brock Hoffman and Nate Thomas … Jonathan Mingo for the past two mini-practices has stood out in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills, working mostly with the second three behind CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and Jalen Tolbert. He seems to be running with more speed and quickness … NFL officials have been here working the minicamp practices.
So for this week's last work, we turn to Parsons, of course, since when Micah talks everyone seems to listen, and you might as well, too. Here is what he had to say when asked about how he leads young guys in that defensive room.
"So first, foremost, one thing I told them when I got into the meeting, I said, 'Man, this is an egoless room. I want everyone to win. Whether you'll be here in four years, whether I'll be here, I want all of us to succeed. That's the only way we'll win. We've got to all want to see each other win. So if we got to sacrifice where we want to be sometimes, and you catch someone else on the back end, that's just what you got to do.'
"But there are no egos in this room. I said, 'Don't be afraid and don't take constructive criticism as a hate or heat towards you. Everyone gets it.' I told them, 'Welcome me, if I'm BSing, tell me to get the (F out).' You know what I mean? You just got to have that critique-ness into you to say, as a man, I got to take what I give, and I think I want that for the room. I think before you try to tell someone something, and it's become an issue, at the end of the day, everyone's (stuff) stinks, you know what I mean? You can't hide it. We're all not perfect. So, you know, that's kind of what I've told them early on."
Not bad, not bad at all.
