Why is Micah Parsons missing from OTAs? Cowboys’ all-pro operates under different rules

For the record, there has never been a concern about Dallas Cowboys all-pro edge rusher Micah Parsons being ready for the 2024 season.

Sure, Parsons has been away from the Cowboys doing his own thing.

He missed the start of the offseason program and worked out on his own. He then went to Japan and China to spread goodwill and the love of the game with Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Now that he is back in Dallas, Parsons didn’t attend the first week of OTAs and continued to work out on his own with a boxing trainer.

It has all come with the full knowledge of Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and the organization.

“Micah’s here in town. He’s been in and out,” McCarthy said. “He’s obviously had some unique travel opportunities. He was here Friday. Spent a lot of time with him on Friday. He actually looks great. He’s in excellent shape. So I know what he’s been doing, where he’s been doing it, so forth.”

McCarthy said he expects Parsons to be with the team for next week’s OTAs.

And as of now, Parsons has not missed anything of importance, even though he is not learning the new defensive scheme under Mike Zimmer at the same time as his teammates.

“So obviously, hell, he went all the way to Tokyo to work out,” McCarthy said. “So yeah, he’s fully getting ready physically but he’s been having one-on-one meetings as far as within the structure of our operation here in the offseason program. So he hasn’t missed anything as far as what’s been installed.”

McCarthy talked about opportunities players have in the Dallas to train outside of the facility, allowing him to embrace players who don’t attend the “voluntary” workouts.

“I think if you’re ignorant to the externals, then I don’t think you’re being in touch with the way our guys and the professional players in the NFL are training,” McCarthy said. “And how fortunate we are to be in this great city of Dallas, particularly just north Dallas, that they have so many resources to buy in to. A lot of guys have a ‘car wash’ of things they do, not only here, in relationship to how we do it here, to what they do away, you just don’t want to be doubling on it either.

There’s just a lot of communication between the strength staff, the training staff and frankly the coaches are involved in those conversations, too.”

Parsons is being given grace by the Cowboys because of who he is and what he’s done: three straight All-Pros in all three years in the league and three top three finishes in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

It’s no different than how superstars have been handled since the beginning of the sport.

Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson had a different set of rules for Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin when it came to discipline.

Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells adhered to a similar philosophy with legendary linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

Certainly, McCarthy would love for Parsons to be participating in the offseason program and OTAs along with the rest of his teammates.

Franchise quarterback Dak Prescott is there, despite being in the middle of a contract dispute with the Cowboys.

And McCarthy and the Cowboys would not be giving defensive end Sam Williams similar grace if he decided to work out on his own.

But Williams ain’t Parsons.