Negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons are in the early stages, but executive vice president Stephen Jones said he feels "good" about the direction of the talks, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Parsons, who is set to play this season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, has had conversations with owner and general manager Jerry Jones as well as Stephen Jones within the past couple of weeks. At the NFL scouting combine in February, the Cowboys met with Parsons' agent, David Mulugheta.

"I don't want to get into any details," Stephen Jones said from The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday before the annual league meeting starts Monday. "It's not fair for anybody, other than we've got a great working relationship with Micah and think the world of him. Like I've said, we've had good visits with him and feel good about where we're headed."

Since the combine, the Las Vegas Raiders signed pass rusher Maxx Crosby to a three-year, $106.5 million extension that includes $91.5 million guaranteed. The Cleveland Browns briefly made Myles Garrett the highest-paid non-quarterback with an extension that averages $40 million and includes $123.5 million guaranteed before the Cincinnati Bengals signed wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase to a four-year, $161 million deal that includes $112 million guaranteed.

Parsons can make a case to be the highest-paid non-quarterback. Parsons and Hall of Famer Reggie White are the only players to record at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons. Despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain last season, Parsons finished fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks. He tied for the most multisack games in the NFL last year with five, and his 18 multisack games in his career are the second most since 2021, behind only T.J. Watt, who has recorded 19 for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A first-round pick in 2021, Parsons has recorded 52.5 sacks in his first four seasons. Only White (70), Derrick Thomas (58), J.J. Watt (57) and DeMarcus Ware (53.5) have had more since sacks became an official stat in 1982.

Parsons said late last season that he does not need to be the highest-paid defensive player in the game, but that was before the recent deals increased the market.

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