Insider offers concerning update on Micah Parsons' Week 1 status

Micah Parsons' viral actions during the Dallas Cowboys' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons this past Friday indicated the star pass-rusher isn't close to receiving his desired extension from the Cowboys ahead of Dallas' Week 1 game at the rival Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4. 

During Monday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, NFL insider Adam Schefter explained why he now has reason to believe Parsons may not feature for the Cowboys against the Eagles unless he puts pen to paper on an extension sooner rather than later. 

"He has not practiced this summer due to a back injury, back tightness," Schefter said, per Nick Kosko of On3. "Now, the Cowboys took an MRI on it, said it came back clean. I think Micah Parsons would tell you that his back is tight. Doesn’t feel right, so he does not practice …He’s got a tight back. The Cowboys' regular-season opener is a week from Thursday night in Philadelphia, and the fact of the matter is, if he’s out there at all, he’ll be limited because he hasn’t gone through practice at all."

Parsons went public with a trade request on Aug. 1 amid his reported desire to become the new highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. While he is under contract through the 2025 campaign, it's unclear if he would forfeit money by sitting out regular-season games to protest not receiving the type of deal he wants. 

Following the 2024 season, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns asked to be traded before he ultimately accepted a four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed to stay with Cleveland. Earlier this summer, T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers signed a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed.

"There’s obviously a lot to this," Schefter added about the Parsons-Cowboys situation. "...We’re talking about the game, Thursday night, practice, no practice. So we’ll see if [he] can make it out there next week. And I would say right now, that is very much in question."

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones seems serious about retaining Parsons' rights for the foreseeable future. If necessary, the club could use the franchise tag on the 26-year-old next offseason. 

For now, it sounds like Parsons' back will continue to be an issue for the Cowboys until Jones signs the four-time Pro Bowler to a lucrative deal.