Micah on Zimmer signing and Cowboys contract negotiations
Texas’s Frisco Keeping Micah Parsons around will definitely help the Dallas Cowboys make the case that they can go from being a perennially-elite 12-win team in the regular season that implodes in the playoffs to a postseason contender after the disappointing and humiliating end to the 2023 season.
When the new league year begins on March 13, the team can begin talks with the three-time All-Pro linebacker. The deadline to exercise the former first-round pick’s fifth-year option is May 2.
At this point, Parsons feels at ease conducting the discussions however the Cowboys see fit.
To see if they are interested in doing it, I won’t know until March,” he said to NFL Network.
**CeeDee Lamb** is also open to contract negotiations. Given that Lamb’s season in 2024 will be his fifth-year option, the Cowboys must finalize a deal as soon as possible for the megastar wideout, especially given the option’s nearly $18 million cap hit.
Parsons is prepared to wait for the time being since he recognizes the importance of the situation, but he is adamant that he wants to finish his career in Dallas.
Regarding the two-time All-Pro receiver, “I do know they’ve got to get CeeDee Lamb done,” he remarked. “I believe that’s the top priority at the moment, but I would be thrilled if they were prepared to discuss a deal and close one. I’m prepared to live a life as a Cowboy. I wanted to be on this team [pre-draft]. I want to win a championship with this team, and I believe that I am meant to be on this team.
“I won’t hurry the procedure. I’m just going to continue working and enjoy the process.
With Dan Quinn gone, the hope is that Mike Zimmer** will embark on a reunion tour with Parsons and the defense, lifting them all to new heights in the postseason.
It’s a unit that has excelled in pressuring the opposition quarterback and taking the ball away during the Quinn era, but in the wild card implosion against Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers, both of those qualities were lacking.
Parsons, who spent the previous three seasons developing a close bond with Quinn, is both disappointed about Zimmer’s departure (to the Commanders, no less) and excited about what he can bring to Dallas.
Based solely on his past performance and my observations, he’s had a great career,” Parsons remarked. I’ve heard excellent things about him as a coach. I can’t wait to meet him and find out what plans he has for me. .. “It should be very exciting because, in my opinion, he has had a top defender with the Cowboys in each of his stints.”
The real fix will start when every player under Zimmer quickly unites to adjust to a new coaching scheme, coaching style, and expectation level from a seasoned coordinator who was the head coach of a team that last competed in the NFC Championship in 2017 and has a Super Bowl ring (with Dallas) on his record.
“I think it takes a collective group and everyone being bought-in,” Parsons said. It doesn’t matter who you are—the players, coaches, executives, practice squad, or anybody else—I believe that everyone needs to be locked in. Everyone must buy in, and the first place to start is with the OTAs. How many will they be able to enroll and become familiar with this new system?
“How can we get things going, learn how to collaborate, and make the most of our communication? not being afraid of anything.”
That’s encouraging to hear because neither is Zimmer, and the best way to ensure Parsons becomes the highest-paid player in NFL history to wear a Cowboys uniform is for him to have an incredible fourth season.
Yes, without a doubt.
