Is Micah Parsons-Malik Hooker drama sign of looming issues for Cowboys? (2024)

With the 2024 NFL season two months away, many believe the Dallas Cowboys’ regular season doesn’t matter all that much. They will ultimately be judged by what happens in January. A fourth-consecutive double-digit-win regular season isn’t enough. They need to win multiple playoff games in a way that hasn’t happened in Dallas in the last 28 years. Vegas has the Cowboys’ over/under win total set at 10.5.

But what if they don’t even get to play meaningful games in January?

During what’s been an extremely quiet offseason by Cowboys standards, there was an interesting moment Friday afternoon on X.

A video clip of Cowboys safety Malik Hooker on Keyshawn Johnson’s “All Facts No Brakes” podcast was posted and Cowboys LB/DE Micah Parsons had a response.

Hooker was asked about his feelings on Parsons hosting his podcast during the season.

“I don’t have no problem with it,” Hooker said. “My advice for Micah would be, just make sure we’re all right, and being where your feet are. Because if we’re at work, and the run game’s terrible, but you’re doing a podcast every week and you know the run game is terrible, then what are you really caring about? Are you caring about the crowd that’s watching your podcast? Or are you caring about the success of our team and the Super Bowl that we’re trying to reach?”

Parsons responded to the clip of that quote by posting the following on X, which was later deleted: “Just wish you said this to me but instead on some podcast! And you got my number family! @MalikHooker24 and you my locker mate! So you coulda said this any day! And you do realize I shoot the podcast on our off day! I why ain’t we talking about everyone preparations and focus leading up to the game week? I mean I can point out a lot of other things but I’m just not!”

Maybe it’s nothing. But these things are usually kept in house. And it carries more weight when it involves arguably the team’s most important player. Parsons isn’t the only reason the Cowboys have been able to win 12 games each of the last three seasons, but he’s been a major factor, being in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year conversation all three years he’s been in the league.

The last thing the Cowboys need is drama. They already have plenty of issues. They’re coming off arguably the worst loss in franchise history. They didn’t do much to improve their roster in the offseason. Nothing has changed about the contract situations of their big three: Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Parsons. Most of the coaching staff, including head coach Mike McCarthy, are working in the final year of their contracts. Zack Martin and DeMarcus Lawrence are entering the final year of their deals. And all of this is happening while working to make notable changes under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

Parsons said during minicamp last month that he and Zimmer have probably said a total of 20 words to each other.

“He’s a very quiet person,” Parsons added. “All I keep hearing from the coaches is that Zim likes it this way. But I like it this way. I can’t wait to have my true sit-down with him. I think it’ll be pretty cool, because obviously old-school mindset, old-school mentality. He’s had a lot of great players, but he ain’t never had a Micah before. It’ll be fun. And I think it’ll be unique.

“There are a lot of similarities with how he uses me with how (Dan Quinn) used me in the system. But he has more tweaks and turns of how he’s going to set things up. There’s some things that I gotta get used to, too. It’s gonna be a compromisable relationship.”

Again, maybe it’s nothing that can’t get worked out during five weeks of training camp in California. But there are reasons to have concern about this season even getting back to where it was the previous three years, and that obviously wasn’t good enough.

Will Prescott play his best if he’s under the final year of his contract? A Cowboys franchise quarterback usually doesn’t wear another team’s helmet. But that becomes more and more possible each day that Prescott doesn’t get a new deal.

Is the offense going to be where it needs to be if Lamb, who skipped all of OTAs and minicamp while trying to get a new deal, sits out all of training camp?

Will there be issues with potentially starting rookies at left tackle and center?

Is running-back-by-committee a good idea?

Can McCarthy keep the ship headed in the right direction while he and the team know this could be his last season in Dallas?

These are all questions that even if they are answered with positive results will do nothing to end the biggest question: Can they finally be at their best when it matters most?

Judging by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ actions this offseason, he seems to believe so many having their backs against the wall will lead to great results.

And maybe they will. But this also could be setting up for a huge disaster.

(Photo of Micah Parsons: Ryan Kang / Getty Images)

Jon Machota is a staff writer covering the Dallas Cowboys for The Athletic. He previously covered the Cowboys for The Dallas Morning News. He's a Detroit native and graduate of Wayne State University. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmachota