Tensions between Micah Parsons, Cowboys could escalate after latest update

The stalemate between EDGE Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys could get even uglier. 

On Thursday, USA Today's Tyler Dragon reported Parsons filed a grievance over the fifth-year option of his rookie contract. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio first reported the news on Wednesday morning. 

Contract databases, such as Spotrac, list Parsons' 2024 salary at $24.007M, but he's set to make less than that. In March 2024, the Cowboys designated him as a defensive end instead of a linebacker, which pays him $21.324M, via Dragon and Florio. 

The Cowboys clearly did this to save money, but they've mainly used Parsons on the defensive line over the past two seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, the 26-year-old lined up on the D-line for 655 of 729 snaps in 2024. He was on the D-line for 801 of 911 snaps the previous season.

Parsons, however, won 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year as an LB and has made four Pro Bowls at the position. 

Many players like Parsons and Washington Commanders LB Von Miller line up on the EDGE, which is on the defensive line but not the same as being a DE. DEs often line up in a three-point stance in front of offensive tackles. Edge-rushers, meanwhile, line up upright outside of the shoulders of offensive tackles. 

"The Collective Bargaining Agreement provides that the fifth-year option will be calculated on the position at which the player participated in the most plays during his third League Year,'" wrote Florio. "And so, the grievance ultimately will be driven by, based on the CBA, a one-play-at-a-time calculation of whether he was a linebacker or a defensive end. Throw in the reality that linebackers often line up as edge-rushers, and the process becomes more complicated."

While that's complex, it's easy to see the Cowboys and Parsons aren't in a good place shortly before the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4. ESPN's Dan Graziano has said both parties are "getting close to a resolution" but hasn't clarified whether that's an extension or trade (h/t Josh Sanchez of Dallas Cowboys on SI).

Parsons' grievance adds another complicating factor to an already murky situation for the Cowboys.