The Cowboys would be wise to listen to Micah Parsons.
The Dallas Cowboys had a rough enough season with constant injuries and finishing with a 7-10 record, which ended their streak of three consecutive playoff appearances. On top of that, they had to watch their bitter division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders, battle in the NFC Championship Game, and to add insult, the Eagles won their second Super Bowl in the last eight seasons.
There’s one player in Dallas that is certainly tired of the Cowboys not being in the mix when it comes to competing for championships, and that’s All-Pro edge/linebacker Micah Parsons. The former first-round pick has made his feelings public by saying that he wants the Cowboys to differ from their frugal spending ways in free agency and be aggressive.
“The talent is there, we just got to be aggressive the same way [other teams] did,” Parsons said. “I don’t want to sit back and watch other [teams] build and build and us stay the same. Definitely some call to action. I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact. I want to see us bring back our own players, that’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones mentioned that the organization would look at teams like the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs when it comes to the team-building aspect. Both of those organizations not only know how to draft and develop, but they’re aggressive in bringing in outside help. The Eagles were led by Saquon Barkley in 2024 and his 2,000 rushing yards, which allowed them to control the clock, build leads, and let their defense pin its ears back. Although they lost to the Eagles in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs brought in guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown even after winning back-to-back titles, which further proved their commitment to excellence.
Dallas has been one of the cheapest teams in the league from a free agency standpoint, and predictably, it hasn’t produced much success outside of the regular season. With Parsons coming out and challenging the front office in Dallas as the team’s best player, this puts more pressure on them to change their ways and get with the current times of the NFL.
Parsons is in line for a major extension soon, and he’s even mentioned taking less money so that the Cowboys can get a player like All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett. If the Cowboys ignore Parsons and his pitch to improve the roster, he could very well begin to think about other options as far as where he’ll lace up his chest going forward. Then there’s guys like quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and cornerback Trevon Diggs. All three have signed lucrative extensions with the Cowboys, but a lack of effort in free agency, which would keep the team stagnant, could force them to explore other teams as well when they’re eligible again for free agency.
Dallas makes signings in free agency every year, but they’re just bodies and not guys that can dramatically change a roster. Although Parsons is the one going public, the rest of the players notice it as well, and even the media has begun to scold the Cowboys for how they operate from a team-building standpoint. Continuing to do things the way they have shows a lack of commitment by the Cowboys front office.
Individual accolades are great in their own right, and all the players mentioned on the Cowboys have them, but at the core, every football player that loves the game wants to win. The Cowboys have had three decades of mediocrity, and it has pushed fans and also the players to the breaking point, which was made clear by what Parsons had to say. If the Cowboys don’t make an attempt this offseason to switch gears and go all out, or “all in” in terms of free agency and trades, what would make these players want to stay?
Prescott feels that the Cowboys are very close to the Eagles. Well, the only way they can truly be in that conversation without any doubt is to maximize every avenue, which means opening up the checkbook in March when the frenzy begins.
