Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons watches in the second half against the Los Angeles Rams at the SoFi Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Micah Parsons' pending grievance over 2025 salary to face stiff challenge from NFL

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 8:56 PM ET

The Micah Parsons soap opera gets stranger and stranger by the hour, with the Dallas Cowboys superstar finding new ways to make headlines. Whether it is being photographed in the Dallas-Fort Worth airport amid growing trade rumors or filing a grievance over his fifth-year option salary for the 2025 season, Parsons is doing it all.

Late Wednesday night, a report surfaced from Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News with a statement from the league about Parsons' grievance.

The grievance stems from Parsons' position. He is listed as a defensive end, which means his fifth-year option pays a salary of $21.324 million. Parsons, however, believes he is a linebacker, which would pay him $24 million.

The slight difference in salary was enough for Parsons to file the grievance, but it won't be an easy battle. According to Hoyt, the NFL "will vigorously defend against this claim" that Parsons is a linebacker.

Last season, Parsons played 515 snaps on the defensive line, while he lined up for 241 snaps at linebacker.

Because the NFL doesn't have a designated EDGE position, the difference in classification of linebacker and defensive end comes down to whether Parsons hand was in the dirt or he was standing up.

That slight difference is worth millions. For what it's worth, despite being listed as a defensive end, Parsons won Defensive Rookie of the Year as a linebacker, and made all three Pro Bowl appearances at linebacker.

So far, Parsons and Jerry Jones are in a deadlock in contract negotiations, so we'll have to see if he decides to play a game of chicken with the league.