FRISCO, Texas – Micah Parsons' fourth season with the Cowboys didn't see as much team success as the first three, but he still played at his usual Pro-Bowl level and believes there are brighter days ahead in Dallas.
"That obviously, we could play a lot better," Parsons said when asked what his biggest takeaway was this season. "We ain't maximize everything, we can overcome all adversity and challenges. Obviously, we wanted to end on a high note, but I think a lot of good came out of this season."
Parsons recorded 2.5 sacks in Sunday's season finale against the Washington Commanders, getting him to 12 sacks for the season in 13 games after missing four with a high ankle sprain. Parsons joined Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players in NFL history to record at least a dozen sacks in each of their first four NFL seasons.
"You just can't sit on it too heavy, you got to keep going," Parsons said of his latest entry into the history books. "I seen Myles Garrett be the fastest to 100, I'm trying to chase him now. It's always kind of like the next with me, I'm always chasing for something that's so far ahead, you've just got to stay hungry in the process."
While his own accomplishments were impressive, Parsons was proud of the resiliency of his teammates all season as well. The Cowboys took pride in continuing to play hard even when they knew a trip to the playoffs is out of the picture, and Parsons believes the players who make that possible are guys that need to stick around.
"Knowing that there is no playoff game but coming out there and putting it all out there for your teammates, those are the type of guys that you want to keep around," Parsons said. "Build around, keep in this locker room, and that's going to help build the culture and change the culture to become champions."
Parsons is also hungry to push for a championship, and he'll talk about that amongst other topics with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Friday at the Cotton Bowl when Texas and Ohio State play at AT&T Stadium with a trip to the College Football Playoff National Championship game on the line.
"It's going to be great talking to the guy that believed in me first to see what the mission is and how we're going to accomplish and really make us happy, and make the fans happy." Parsons said.
Another point of emphasis for Parsons this offseason is getting a contract extension, something that he's made clear he wants to do and is willing to sacrifice in order to stay in Dallas and help bolster the roster. For now though, the looming question is the status of Mike McCarthy, and Parsons continued to back him through the end of a challenging season.
"I thought he did very well, I felt like obviously for what he's had, he definitely made an impact," Parsons said. "It's definitely challenging because anytime you lose your starting quarterback… it's the most challenging part."
If this is in fact the end for McCarthy in Dallas, Parsons is thankful for the time they spent together.
"I appreciate Mike for everything he's done for me and the program if this was our last ride," Parsons said. "He's always been a great man, a great father, a great testament of faith since he's been here so I appreciate him."
The Cowboys now head into the offseason holding the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the same pick they had when they selected Parsons in the 2021 draft, and are hoping to land an equally as impactful player.
