The Dallas Cowboys are picking up the fifth-year option for defensive end Micah Parsons, which should not be much of a surprise given how important he is to the team’s defense.
The noteworthy development here is that they are reportedly picking up that option by designating him as defensive end and not a linebacker, according to the Dallas Morning News. That is an important designation because the difference between a defensive end designation and linebacker designation is around $3 million on the fifth-year option.
By designating him as a defensive end, Parsons would only make $21 million on his fifth-year option instead of $24 million that the linebacker designation would bring.
On one hand, the Cowboys are not necessarily wrong to label him a defensive end.
He has spent most of the past two seasons lining up as a defensive end. That is his primary position at this point.
But he does still play snaps as a linebacker, and any time a player can have two potential designations, they are always going to want the one that is going to pay them more money.
So in the short term, it does seem like something that will be a problem for Parsons and his agent.
In the long term, it might not matter because Parsons will probably never have to play his fifth year (the 2025 season) on that option year because it is expected he will sign a new contract extension before then.
Still, until that happens, it’s a good example of the types of games and approaches teams have to make in a salary-cap league where every dollar counts.
