Micah Parsons contract: How much can the Cowboys linebacker earn as their DE?

It has been reported that the Dallas Cowboys have activated Micah Parsons' fifth-year possibility, which makes complete sense.

However, the Cowboys are offering Parsons a fifth-year option as a defensive end rather than a linebacker, as detailed by Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. This arrangement will save the team about $3 million in wages.

With this new deal in place, let's see what Micah Parsons stands to gain with the Cowboys.

Micah Parsons contract: Breaking down Cowboys star's $21.32M DE deal

Although Micah Parsons was originally drafted as a linebacker, he is a flexible player who can play elsewhere on the field. He has become one of the NFL's best defensive players after concluding the previous campaign with 33 quarterback hits, 18 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Parsons' 2025 salary as a defensive end will be $21.32 million, but if the Cowboys had exercised his fifth-year option as a linebacker, he would have made little over $24 million, according to reports.

The standout pass rusher will be paid a $2.9 million basic salary and a $2.4 million signing bonus through the 2024 season, as it is in his rookie contract. His fifth-year option then becomes active for the 2025 season.

Parsons has become one of the league's highest-profile players since his arrival, and it is still expected that he will receive a long-term contract from the Cowboys. ESPN reported before the 2023 season that Parsons might receive at least $32 million a year with his next contract. That would be the highest-paid deal ever given to a defensive player In NFL history.

Nick Bosa, who signed a five-year, $170 million contract prior to the 2023 campaign, is still the highest-paid defensive player in the league for now. In terms of total compensation, average yearly worth and money guaranteed at signing, that sum is more than that of any other defensive player.

Micah Parsons has received two All-Pro selections and three Pro Bowl invitations in just three years in the NFL. During that time, he has also recorded 40.5 career sacks and 89 quarterback hits, finishing in the top three in the voting for defensive player of the year.

The 24-year-old Parsons will likely become the best-paid defensive player in NFL history when he and the Cowboys finalize a long-term agreement next year.