As expected, the Dallas Cowboys are going to pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option. The surprise, however, is how Dallas is conducting said business. 

Parsons will receive his option as a defensive end and not as a linebacker, according to The Dallas Morning News. By doing so, the Cowboys will save roughly $3 million. Parsons would make $21.32 as a defensive end for the 2025 season if he plays under his option. He would make $24 million as a linebacker. 

Teams have until May 2 to apply the fifth-year option to 2021 first-round draft picks. 

Labeling Parsons as a defensive end is more than a cost-cutting move. Technically, Parsons was used more as a defensive end than as a linebacker last season. Nearly 88% of Parsons’ regular-season snaps last year came on the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus. 

This will likely be a moot point given that Parsons probably won’t play under his fifth-year option. It is widely expected that Parsons will receive a lucrative, long-term contract sometime between now and before the start of the 2025 season. 

Parsons is been one of the NFL’s top defensive players since entering the NFL in 2021. Since then, the former first-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections and was tabbed as the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Along with Parsons, the Cowboys have upcoming contract decisions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is currently slated to play under his fifth-year option in 2024. Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year, $160 million extension.