The Dallas Cowboys have had a fairly busy offseason thus far.
For starters, they re-signed several key contributors who were set to hit the open market, the most notable being Osa Odighizuwa.
Then, Jerry Jones created more than $57 million in salary cap space by restructuring the contracts of both Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
And while Jones didn't spend nearly that amount once the market opened, he still added eight new players to the roster in free agency while also bringing in another two via trade.
But despite all of this activity, there's still one significant piece of business that has yet to be taken care of, and that's getting Micah Parsons a new contract.
Currently set to play the 2025 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, which will pay him a solid sum of more than $24 million, the four-time Pro Bowler has watched several fellow superstars receive monster extensions.
First, there was Maxx Crosby, who received a three-year, $106.5 million extension from the Las Vegas Raiders, thus making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history—at least for a few days, that is.
Four days after Crosby signed his contract, Myles Garrett became the new record holder as he inked a new four-year, $160 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.
And eight days after that, Ja'Marr Chase took over the top spot, signing a four-year, $161 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Given how the market works these days, one has to assume the price for Parsons went up every single time one of these deals was signed. And it's now been reported that the 25-year-old is seeking at least $200 million in total money and more than the $40.25 million per season Chase is set to earn.
That said, however, one has to wonder if Parsons' price will go up even more if the other defensive superstar who has yet to receive his extension signs his new contract first—that, of course, being Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt.
Micah Parsons and T.J. Watt seem set to vie for the title of the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL
Once upon a time, the Cowboys and Steelers were bitter rivals, twice facing one another in the Super Bowl in the 1970s and once again battling for the Lombardi Trophy in the 1990s.
And while the rivalry isn't nearly as intense as it once was, Parsons and Watt seem to be competing for the titles of highest-paid defensive player and highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
Like Parsons with the Cowboys, Watt is in the final year of his current deal with the Steelers, which he signed in 2021 to the tune of $112.001 million over four years.
And given what's gone down with Crosby, Garrett, and Chase, one has to think the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year could be expecting his AAV to surpass the numbers of those three. And with 108.0 sacks in just eight years, Watt would have every right to expect such a figure.
The Steelers, of course, could be waiting to extend Watt because they still seem to be waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision. And that certainly won't come cheap. Even so, Pittsburgh would assumingly want to get Watt's deal done as soon as possible before Parsons resets the market yet again.
And one would think Jones would want to get Parsons' deal done before Watt does the same.
The race is on, folks.