FRISCO, Texas — Rumors were already swirling around Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as coaching openings started to trickle in at the end of the regular season, but that buzz turned to a deafening pitch when the Seattle Seahawks parted ways with Pete Carroll on Wednesday and Quinn's name was immediately brought up in reports as a strong candidate to return to Lumen Field.
Micah Parsons arrived in Dallas at the same time that Quinn did back in 2021 when Quinn became Mike McCarthy's new defensive coordinator and the pair along with the scouting department and front office used a first-round pick to grab Parsons out of Penn State.
Since then, Parsons and Quinn have grown close and each of their careers have found success with the Cowboys. Off the field, their connection has blossomed into something that Parsons will cherish whether Quinn is in Dallas for the future or not.
"That's like my OG, for real," Parsons said on Thursday. "He means a lot to me, not only because it's just about football. We were talking today…and I said, 'You're just such a great mentor.' I think he does a great job of finding ways for you to love the game and finding ways to go around the game."
The coaching rumors is not something that Parsons is deaf to, as he has seen his defensive coordinator's name get brought up in openings. For him, it's an opportunity to make potentially their last season together one to remember.
"It's the nature of the business," he said. "It could possibly be my last ride with Q, and if it is, we're gonna make sure it's a damn good one."
One thing that has always stood out to Parsons and the rest of his teammates about Quinn's coaching style is his friendly approach instead of the stereotypical hard approach that one would typically expect from a coach.
"It doesn't always have to be hard-nosed, 'I'm the coach,'" he said. "It's more of a friendship. We go through what I don't like, what I do like. He doesn't just treat me like a player, he treats me like a friend. He's always there when I need him and we're not afraid to have those hard conversations whether it's father to son or player to coach."
The postseason run ahead is one that the Cowboys feel confident about going into the Wild Card Round, and with the almost certain potential that this version of the Dallas Cowboys with all of its coaches and players in place will not be the same in 2024, Parsons is looking at making the most of it."
"Hopefully, it's phenomenal," he said. "Not even hopefully. I'm gonna be phenomenal. I'm not gonna let y'all think that. I'm gonna be phenomenal, f—--- phenomenal."
