Micah Parsons, Malik Hooker Drama Reflects Bigger Problem For Cowboys

Earlier this offseason, we heard that the Dallas Cowboys ‘ organization was getting tired of Micah Parsons’ antics. We mostly brushed it off as a false report, or at least one that was embellished. But after what Malik Hooker just did, we may have to examine things more closely.

During an appearance on the All Facts, No Brakes podcast with Keyshawn Johnson, Hooker—Parsons’ teammate—ripped the superstar edge rusher for focusing too much on his podcast and not paying enough attention to what is going on with the Cowboys themselves.

This certainly isn’t the first time that someone has taken issue with Parsons’ social media presence, but it is the first time that it came directly from a teammate—and in a public forum.

Parsons fired back at Hooker, saying that he wished Hooker would have said this to him personally rather than airing out dirty laundry on a podcast (ironically enough).

But does Hooker have a point here, and is it evidence that the reports about Dallas getting fed up with Parsons may have had some validity?

Micah Parsons may be treading on thin ice

Parsons is one of the best defensive players in football. No one would deny that.

The man has racked up 40.5 sacks in a span of three seasons. He has placed in the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting each time, including a pair of top-two finishes. He has made three Pro Bowls and earned a couple of First-Team All-Pro selections.

But sometimes, what a player does off the field diminishes his on-field production, and that seems to be happening with Parsons right now.

Look: I highly doubt Hooker went rogue here. Did he make the right move by doing this publicly? No. As Parsons said, he should have gone directly to him if he had a problem, and based on Parsons’ reaction, Hooker likely never did. However, there are 51 other players on the Cowboys’ roster. I highly doubt that Hooker is the only one who feels this way.

Parsons became eligible for a contract extension this offseason, but Dallas has other priorities. It is trying to lock up wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and quarterback Dak Prescott is also entering the final year of his deal. Parsons has two years left on his contract, so the Cowboys don’t really have to be in any rush to extend him this summer. And you know what? They may not want to.

Again, no one is questioning Parsons’ production. He is a one-man wrecking crew out there. But , Parsons has logged just one sack in four career playoff games, and that is something that Dallas may specify if the two sides reach the negotiating table this summer.

The Cowboys’ lack of postseason success is certainly not Parsons’ fault. After all, this is a franchise that hasn’t made it to a conference championship game in almost three full decades. Still, his off-the-field behavior apparently isn’t making things any easier.

Dallas has had enough issues as it is this offseason. The team is at odds with Prescott. Lamb is threatening to hold out of training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal. The Cowboys may also very well have been the quietest team in the NFL during the free-agent period, and their draft didn’t exactly draw rave reviews.

On paper, Dallas is very talented. This is a ballclub that has rattled off three straight 12-win campaigns, and it should be in the playoffs once again next winter. Key word: should .

If there truly are internal issues with the Cowboys, and if Parsons is near the center of them, Dallas may face an uphill battle in trying to make its first deep playoff run since last winning the Super Bowl in January 1996.

I won’t go as far to say that Micah Parsons may be podcasting his way out of Dallas, but he clearly is not ingratiating himself to the front office, and evidently, he is rubbing his teammates the wrong way, as well.

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