REPORTS: Cowboys eye key change for Micah Parsons in contract negotiations

Former Penn State football star Micah Parsons has already gone on to an extremely successful career in the NFL. Now, the multi-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection is looking to cash in as his Rookie contract nears its end. However, according to reports this week, the Dallas Cowboys are expected to exercise a fifth-year option on the ex-Nittany Lions’ contract, but do so with a key position change that could impact Parsons in his pocketbook. 

Dallas Cowboys look to relabel Micah Parsons as defensive end in contract negotiations, per reports

Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys are soon expected to use its fifth-year option on former Penn State football star linebacker Micah Parsons. The Harrisburg native has been a force since entering the NFL, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, making three Pro Bowls, and earning first-team All-Pro honors in two of his three seasons. 

However, the catch is how the Cowboys plan to label the former Nittany Lion. According to reports from the Dallas Morning News and others, Micah Parsons is expected to get his fifth-year option as a defensive end, not a linebacker. The move would cut Parsons’ anticipated salary for the 2025 season by approximately $3 million, from $24 million down to slightly over $21 million. Parsons will make $5.4 million in 2024.

Technically, Parsons has been used more as a defensive end during his NFL career. As noted by Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, Micah Parsons played 88% of his regular season snaps at defensive end last year. Further, there’s still a question of whether this salary cap-saving measure will come to pass, as Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys are expected to agree to terms on a new lucrative contract in the two years before the fifth-year option would go into effect. 

Other former Penn State football players with NFL offseason moves

Micah Parsons isn’t the only Nittany Lion making headlines in the NFL this week. 

On Monday, the Buffalo Bills announced that offensive lineman Ryan Bates was being traded to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bates, who played for Penn State football between 2015 and 2018, could end up as the Bears starting center for the 2024 season. 

Of course, the major news this week was that the New York Giants would not use a second franchise tag on Saquon Barkley, paving the way for the Penn State football star to become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career. Several teams have been speculated as potential landing spots for Barkley, including the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Philadelphia Eagles.

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