Getty Image / Richard Rodriguez
Micah Parsons may have been beaten out for the NFL Defensive Player of the year last season by San Francisco 49ers edge Nick Bosa. But, that doesn’t mean that Parsons isn’t happy for Bosa after he signed a huge extension with the 49ers on Wednesday.
After a protracted contract negotiation with the team that drafted him 2nd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, Nick Bosa and the 49ers agreed to a record-setting, five-year $170 mill deal for a player at his position that will make him one of the sport’s highest paid players.
It is over.
$34 million APY for Nick Bosa, beating out Aaron Donald's high-water mark by over $2m per year even though this is a longer contract (!!!).
Fully guaranteed money for Bosa TBD but I am assuming it's stratospheric — that's how the 49ers could've made this affordable https://t.co/xWmGxJXbNA
— David Lombardi (@LombardiHimself) September 6, 2023
And, Micah Parsons should be the next defensive player in line to get a monster deal. The third-year player out of Penn State has been arguably the league’s best defensive player since Dallas selected him 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. The linebacker has 26.5 sacks and 33 tackles for loss through his first two seasons, despite often play as an off-ball linebacker. No other defensive player in the league has his combination of athleticism, skill, and motor, and he helped rejuvenate an aging Cowboys defense.
Parsons still has three years left on his rookie deal, including this season. But, it seems unlikely that he will be playing on his rookie salary much longer, as he’s worth plenty more. And, unlike Nick Bosa, he doesn’t have an injury history. Bosa missed most of his final year at Ohio State with injury and missed all but two games of the 2020 season with an ACL injury.
Micah Parsons definitely took note of Nick Bosa’s new deal. Here’s Pro Football Talk with more.
“Super happy for Nick Bosa, man,” Parsons said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “He really showed why he was the best player in the league last year. It gives you something to chase, man. And not in terms of his contract, but in terms of how great he was. If you study his mindset and how patient he was and let the game come to him. He knows that I’m coming for him. He even said, ‘I won this year, and I know you’ll be coming for it next year.’ “And I said, ‘You’re damn right.’ It’s going to be a good chase.”
Parsons added that he’s thinking about bringing the Cowboys a Super Bowl rather than his next contract, but everything is intertwined for Parsons this year. If he repeats his individual success and helps the Cowboys to greater team success, his impending contract extension and the pressure on the Cowboys to get it done is only going to get bigger.
Micah Parsons and Dallas get their season underway on Sunday Night Football against the Giants, while Nick Bosa and the 49ers make the trek to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers.