Latest Rumors on Micah Parsons' Cowboys Contract Talks amid Amari Cooper Return Buzz

The Dallas Cowboys "have not yet ramped up negotiations" with star edge-rusher Micah Parsons, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"That doesn't mean they will not. They are budgeting for that," Fowler reported Sunday on SportsCenter. "They want to keep Parsons long term. They do have a penchant for signing their star players, it just takes a little while. Last year, Dak Prescott didn't get his deal done until Sept. 8, right before the season; CeeDee Lamb late August. So, they could certainly draw this out, but they know what the price tag is, $35-40 million per year, for a player of his caliber."

Fowler went on to say Dallas could use some of its available salary cap space to bolster the receiving corps, with the Cowboys and Amari Cooper having "some mutual interest" in a reunion.

Cooper is coming off a disappointing 2024 season. His 44 receptions, 547 yards and four touchdown grabs were all career lows. With the team not taking a wideout in the 2025 NFL draft, the five-time Pro Bowler would at least provide some depth behind Lamb.

Meanwhile, the timeline of Lamb's extension could be a helpful guide of how this offseason will unfold for Parsons.

The decorated pass-catcher was absent for all of training camp and didn't suit up for the preseason. On Aug. 20 last summer, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported "there hasn't been a lot of movement" on a new deal.

Less than a week later, the broad terms on an extension were done, and Lamb was on the field for Week 1.

The absence of an agreement and a lack of any tangible progress may not be foreboding as the weeks and months unfold.

It's not as though the value for him will move much between now and the start of the 2025 campaign. The draft is over and the biggest dominoes have fallen in free agency.

The Cowboys are in all likelihood done with the blockbuster transactions.

Still, the nine-figure extensions for Lamb and Prescott mean the organization has to be even more conscious of the cap long term. Retaining Parsons doesn't make as much sense if Dallas forfeits so much flexibility it can't assemble a supporting cast capable of making a deep playoff run.