Cowboys' Trevon Diggs: Micah Parsons 'Definitely Should Get QB Money' on New Contract

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs believes becoming the highest-paid defensive player in the league may not be enough to describe the value of teammate Micah Parsons.

"Quarterback money," Diggs told Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News when discussing what the edge-rusher is worth. "He definitely should get quarterback money. He deserves it. He's a generational talent. He's got too much talent. Nobody is like him. Like how a quarterback can change a whole team, he can change a whole defense, and he can ruin a play at any time. If you got that capability, you should get paid like it."

Parsons has another guaranteed year left on his rookie contract, and the Cowboys hold a club option for 2025. He's eligible to sign a new deal as early as 2024, though, and re-signing him early means his salary might be a bit lower compared to where it would be further down the road.

Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald has the highest average salary for a defender ($31.7 million). If nobody has surpassed him by then, Parsons might be the guy to finally overtake Donald.

The 2021 first-round pick has 26.5 sacks and 149 tackles for loss through his first two years, each of which saw him earn All-Pro honors. Commanding $30-plus million won't be a reach when he and the Cowboys are sitting across from one another at the negotiating table.

"Quarterback money" might be a reach, though, when the going rate for an elite signal-caller is now $50 million. It's tough to see how any defensive player—even one as disruptive as Parsons—will be worth that kind of investment anytime soon.