Parsons addresses the uncertainty in Dallas
Dallas Cowboys three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons and team owner Jerry Jones had a 1-on-1 chat at the Cotton Bowl on Friday in Jones’ suite to discuss the future in Dallas, including Parsons’ looming contract extension.
However, Jones and Parsons clearly disagreed on the viability of Mike McCarthy’s future as the Cowboys head coach. Jones parted ways with McCarthy on Monday, and Parsons called Dallas’ decision to move on from McCarthy “devastating.”
“It’s very, very interesting man. Obviously, very sad because of the relationships we had with Coach McCarthy and everything he’s done for our program: three straight 12-5 seasons, playoff appearances and obviously an unfortunate year due to injuries and things like that (in 2024), but it is devastating,” Parsons said on his “The Edge with Micah Parsons” podcast on Tuesday. “Coach Mike is a great father, coach. One of the most winningest coaches (174 wins, 13th-most ever), and you know he’s always been good to us.”
Even though Parsons clearly has a fundamental disagreement with Jones about parting with the head coach who drafted him 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, he remains a believer in the Cowboys’ brain trust. That’s a sentiment that isn’t popular among the team’s own fan base on social media these days.
“Losing a great coach like Mike hurts, but it’s going to be a very interesting offseason. It’s going to be very interesting. Due to free agents, coaching, it’s going to be a complete reset. It’s going to be a very interesting and challenging offseason, but listen I already know I trust my owner. I trust my GM. I trust (vice president of player personnel) Will McClay. I trust that we’re gonna make the right decisions.”
The Cowboys will obviously be making a coaching decision before coming to terms with Parsons on his second contract, which is why the All-Pro edge rusher is on the edge of his seat to see who his next head coach and defensive coordinator will be. He began his career predominantly playing as inside linebacker before lining up much more frequently along the defensive line. Parsons’ 52.5 career sacks are the fifth-most in a player’s first four seasons since sacks began being tracked as an individual statistic in 1982. No matter who the Cowboys decided to hire, he knows Year 1 of adjusting to a new coaching staff will “be challenging.”
“We don’t know who is getting what,” Parsons said of the Cowboys coaching search. “There’s been a lot of speculation. Former players mentioned: Prime Time [Deion Sanders], [Jason] Witten. But at the end of the day, speculation is speculation. We’re going to wait and see who gets hired, who’s going to be our DC, our OC, because it’s going to be a complete reset. It’s going to be very interesting see how those guys envision players and who they want to bring in. Who they want to keep, who they want to build around. …. It’s going to be challenging. … There’s no security in this league. That’s the dangerous part of the NFL. In most cases besides Tomlin, the Shanahans, the McVays … When you’re in programs and those coaches draft you and have an idea of where they want you to fit and how they want you to play, and when they’re all out, it’s kind of like you’re S.O.L. … You’ve seen a bunch of [Dan Quinn’s] guys travel with him I can only imagine a bunch of guys are going to follow McCarthy. … It’s going to be very interesting. It’s going to be challenging.”