Cowboys Star Could Cause Problems for Steelers

Much like Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt, Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is in line for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his current pact.

The 2021 first-round pick, who is playing under the fifth-year option this season, isn't worrying about the lack of long-term security, however, and is using the fact that he has yet to land a new deal from the Cowboys as extra motivation.

"I just work harder," he said at his youth football camp, per PennLive's Nick Farabaugh. "Like, to me, I look at it like if people don’t see your value, you don’t cry and sit down. You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that’s, the difference, Like I go, okay, bet, and I just work."

The edge rusher market has exploded this offseason. The Houston Texans' Danielle Hunter and Las Vegas Raiders' Maxx Crosby signed extensions with average annual values of $35.6 million and $35.5 million, respectively, before Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns became the highest-paid defensive player in league history with a four-year pact worth $160 million.

Parsons, Watt, the Detroit Lions' Aidan Hutchinson and Cincinnati Bengals' Trey Hendrickson are among the premier players at the position who have yet to get a piece of the pie this offseason, but the former has kept his blinders on and isn't focused on anyone else's situation.

"They numbers got nothing to do with mine, and my numbers ain't got nothing to do with them," Parsons said. "Like, I'm younger than Hendrickson. I mean, Hutchinson's coming off an injury. Everyone's circumstances is completely different. Hutch is coming off his third year. Usually guys wait four years. So, it just all depends. Watt. I mean, he's up there with Myles. So, you know, it's different. Everyone's circumstance is different."

Parsons has already made four Pro Bowls and logged 52.5 sacks through the first four seasons of his career. Dallas will almost certainly sort out a deal with him in the near future, and at just 26-years-old, he should remain one of the league's top defensive players for a long time running.

The Steelers may be a bit hesitant to hand Watt a market-setting contract considering he'll turn 31-years-old in October, but the expectation has remained that the two parties will ultimately figure something out.

Watt is a franchise legend and still played at an elite level in 2024 despite a slow finish to the year, but Pittsburgh runs the risk of creating a distraction if it doesn't resolve its differences with him before the regular season commences.

Additionally, Watt's price tag is only going to rise if Parsons, Hutchinson and Hendrickson sign their next contracts before he does. That could put some added pressure on the Steelers, and they're more likely to cave by paying him rather than trading their all-time leading sack artist in what's shaping up as an "all-in" campaign.