INDIANAPOLIS — Brian Schottenheimer is new to the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach role. But the recently promoted Dallas coach isn’t new to the club and thus he isn’t new to the talent that is Micah Parsons.
Schottenheimer has called plays in practice against the 2021 first-round edge rusher. He keeps that challenge in mind as he navigates an offseason in which Parsons is seeking his next contract.
“The benefit we have from practicing against him every day is we see the problems that he creates,” Schottenheimer said Thursday from the NFL scouting combine. “Micah is an elite young football player that has barely scratched the surface.”
On one hand, Schottenheimer has seen how the Cowboys reward homegrown talent with lucrative extensions. Quarterback Dak Prescott reset the market with a $60 million per year extension last September, while wide receiver CeeDee Lamb ranked second among non-quarterbacks with a deal averaging $34 million per season.
On the other: Prescott’s deal wasn’t done until the first day of the regular season while Lamb’s prompted a training camp-long holdout.
Schottenheimer said he has “open and honest” conversations with the Cowboys’ front office. Do those conversations include an honest assessment of the Cowboys’ often-late deals?
“I think they understand that,” Schottenheimer said. “Look: The business of the NFL has become so big and again it’s a two-way street. There’s negotiations and sometimes those negotiations take time, [so] it’s our job to focus on the guys that are there.
“It’s part of the business.”
Cowboys new head coach Brian Schottenheimer says Pete Carroll is the coach he most models himself after — and also, when they split, they agreed to disagree: pic.twitter.com/fHECvK7KVF
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) February 27, 2025
On Parsons’ talent, Cowboys brass and Schottenheimer agree. Parsons has raced to 52.5 sacks, 256 tackles, nine forced fumbles and 112 quarterback hits since the Cowboys drafted him 12th overall in 2021. He ranked third in the league in pass rush win rate in 2024, per ESPN Analytics, and first in 2023.
Finalizing a deal will reflect a conversation of cost more than talent evaluation. Parsons has shifted from the inside linebacker role he primarily played at Penn State to a role primarily as a pass rusher with some versatility and disguise that includes other responsibilities.
Edge rushers and receivers historically are the highest paid non-quarterbacks in the league. Minnesota Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson currently commands the highest non-quarterback salary with a deal worth $35 million per year, but Cincinnati Bengals leadership said this week that they expect to award Ja’Marr Chase a contract more lucrative.
Consider Parsons in that same financial stratosphere.
To teams’ delight, the pool from which they’ll draw those contracts continues to balloon.
The NFL announced its salary cap is rising to a record $279.2 million, $23.8 million more than its 2024 figure.
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The Cowboys anticipate extending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa soon and will consider extending additional in-house players set to hit free agency, including cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
After a quiet Cowboys free agency last year, executive vice president Stephen Jones said this week he hopes to be “selectively aggressive” in 2025 free agency deals.
Schottenheimer said he, Stephen Jones and general manager/owner Jerry Jones are aligned in their extension plans.
“We’re always going to start with our guys,” Schottenheimer said. “We know them, right? We’ve got history with them. We’ve developed those guys. We understand their strengths, their weaknesses, what they bring to the table from a culture standpoint. So, again, it all depends on how things go. It’s a very competitive business.
“It’s a very competitive time of year.”
