Micah Parsons is a rising superstar. He also knows Cowboys must win for him to ascend

Credit to Micah Parsons; he already understands the way this game works.

At just 24 years of age, it’s not a stretch to say the Cowboys’ do-everything defender is one of the best players in football. But on top of that in-game ability, Parsons also has a keen understanding of its political nature. So if you ask him if he’s gunning to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year, he’ll deftly point out what that type of season would entail.

"I feel like everything is tied together. If I’m at that caliber, I feel like we should be in the Super Bowl," Parsons said. "Nick Bosa’s team went into the NFC Championship. If I’m playing and doing my job, it’s going to bring everybody else around me."

It’s a truth of the game: team success typically begets individual accolades.

The last 16 NFL Defensive Players of the Year have played on playoff teams. Of those 16 players, all but three played for a team that managed to win double-digit games that season. Parsons’ argument hits a minor snag on one minor point, which is that only Aaron Donald in 2018 has managed to reach the Super Bowl in the same season he won the award. But the point remains: this league’s award-winners typically come from its most successful teams.

That should work just fine for Parsons, who doesn’t seem intent on slowing down after being named a first-team All-Pro in each of his first two professional seasons. That not only goes for himself but for a unit that looks poised to be among the league’s best once again in 2023. 

"I think this defense, we could be up there with the 49ers' great defenses. I think we could be up there with the Ray Lewis defense, I think we could be up there with the Legion of Boom," he said. "Just with the talent we have, the vet guys mixed with the young guys. The experience we all have. Because I feel like, since my rookie year we got thrown in the fire." 

That’s been a steady theme when Parsons has talked during this offseason. This is a guy who memorably said the day after he was drafted that he hates to lose and loves to win — whether the competition is football, basketball, bowling or chess. He’s also turned heads in recent months by working with two-time All-Pro offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth in an effort to learn his opposition’s tricks of the trade.

"The first thing I walked away with is how he reminded me of Aaron Donald because of the way he competes every single rep of his workout. Most guys don’t do that," Whitworth told reporters at training camp Saturday.

The attempt to turn over every stone in the path to improvement is intentional. Parsons pointed out over the weekend that NFL careers only last so long, which provides all the necessary motivation to find that discipline. "I owe that to myself for what I want," he said. "I’ve come to this mindset of I’m tired of being second or I’m tired of coming up short."

That’s an impressive mindset for a guy who has made the All-Pro team and the playoffs in each of his first two seasons in the league. Despite that, it’s obvious that two postseason exits to San Francisco — one in the wildcard round, one in the divisional — have weighed on him. "Before we even got out here, I kind of said ‘man I hope everybody’s ready to work, because I’m coming with a different level of intensity,’" he said.

You’re seeing the result playing out across social media every afternoon during camp. Every year, there’s a practice-wrecking force on the fields in Oxnard, Calif., during these summer practices. DeMarcus Ware, Dez Bryant and CeeDee Lamb have all earned that distinction. This year, it’s Parsons turning heads for tossing the likes of Tyron Smith and terrorizing Dak Prescott.

To hear it from defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, that’s evidence of Parsons’ development translating into a more technically sound player — as if he wasn’t already imposing enough.

"He was already talented, now he’s getting even more skill to match that. So now you’re seeing this jump that takes place," Quinn told 105.3 FM radio in Dallas. "As a young guy coming in, he was super gifted and had great explosiveness. But now his hand use is so much better, his knowledge of what to see is getting better. So that’s the thing that has jumped out to me."

It’s enough to make you daydream about the contract Parsons could command when he’s eligible for an extension, starting next year. It’s already chief among the Cowboys’ concerns, as owner and general manager Jerry Jones cited Parsons as a reason why he can’t afford to give Zack Martin a larger payout.

Again, Parsons has that part figured out. Rather than worry about the particulars, he recognizes one simple truth: winning will take care of everything else.

"I just know if I win this Super Bowl, then I ain’t got to worry about nothing the rest of my life," he said.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing "Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion" about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.