The Dallas Cowboys’ offseason has been dominated by players holding out, controversies, and a feud between Micah Parsons and Malik Hooker. The Cowboys safety was less than pleased with Parsons hosting his podcast, “The Edge with Micah Parsons,” and called on him to prioritize his game. What followed was a back-and-forth between the two, with Parsons deleting a tweet and then later stirring the pot.

But now it seems, Parson is ready to bury the hatchet and move on from the controversy. Speaking to reporters after practice on Wednesday, 21 August, he defended his podcast duties amid questions that it would distract from his duties as a player and affect the team.

“I don’t think no one really cares about what I’m doing on a Monday afternoon when I’m at home with my kids. So why would they care if I’m on Xbox? I think we all get our own free time. When y’all away from here are y’all thinking about me at home? I would hope not,” said Parsons.

Parsons began his podcast last year with Bleacher Report to coincide with the NFL regular season. He used to share his take on the games involving the Cowboys as well as other teams across the league. The podcast was taped on Tuesdays and Parsons has insisted that it isn’t a distinction for him.

Responding to claims that it could have a detrimental effect, Parson further added, “I try not to say (anything) controversial but everyone always is gonna be drawn to something. They’re going to try to take one thing. We all have opinions. We’re not going to agree to what everyone says. That’s life.”

Well, it looks like Parsons is not going to stop doing his podcast and has accepted that he won’t be able to please everyone. This year his role with Bleacher Report will expand as he was named the president of the company’s Gridiron division. This means he will likely be more involved with the football-based content.

Active NFL players getting into podcasting isn’t common but not unheard of. Jason and Travis Kelce began their well-known podcast “New Heights” in September 2022. Since then, the Kansas City Chiefs TE has won two Super Bowls. So maybe it is not that big of a distraction after all.

Parsons’s beef with teammate Malik Hooker began in June when the safety appeared on the “All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson” podcast, on June 27. When asked to share his opinion on Parsons’ podcast, he said,

“My advice for Micah would be just make sure we’re all right,” Hooker said. “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 was watching the podcast or are you caring about the success of our team and the Super Bowl that we’re trying to reach?”

The Cowboys finished last season 12-5 for the third year in a row. Their season ended when they lost to the Packers in the wild-card round of the playoffs, where their run defense came under criticism after Aaron Jones rushed for 118 yards and three touchdowns.

Still, in Parsons’s defense, he has played a key role in the Cowboys winning 12 games in each of the last three seasons. He has also been in the conversation for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year for all three years he has been at the franchise. Last season, he registered a career-high 14 sacks and has never gone fewer than 13 in his tenure at Dallas.

Parsons responded to Hooker’s comment via a tweet, writing, “Just wish you said this to me but instead on some podcast! And you got my number family! @MalikHooker24 and you my locker mate!. The pass rusher also clarified that it doesn’t interfere with his preparation for the game. “And you do realize I shoot the podcast on our off day! I why ain’t we talking about everyone preparations and focus.”

However, Parsons deleted the tweet shortly afterward and Hooker even mentioned they have the same goal this season to improve the defense for the next season. But Parsons brought up the issue about a month later.

Only July 26, Parsons said, “I know what I do in my free time, so make sure you’re hopping on ‘The Edge’ if you’ve got a chance on Monday or Tuesday nights. What he does on his Monday and Tuesday nights when he’s not in the building, that’s on him. What I do, that’s me and my business and my family, so I’m going to keep it at that,” via lonestarlive.com.

So has Parsons finally moved on? Hooker has been quiet about the issue since he first talked about it and subsequently cleared the air. Meanwhile,  in his appearance on the All Facts No Brakes podcast, Malik Hooker also ranked addressed the Cowboys’ contract situation with three of its biggest players, which again seemed to be a debatable opinion.

Hooker named the player he thinks should be last on the Cowboys’ priority list

During the June podcast, Keyshawn Johnson asked Hooker, who the Cowboys should prioritize out of CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott, Zack Martin, and Micah Parsons as far as their offering a new contract goes. Hooker responded by sharing his thoughts on who should be last on the list.

He chose to shoot Parsons down saying, “I feel like Micah still has a lot to prove,” but later added that he’s a phenomenal player who hasn’t “scratched the surface” yet. Reportedly, the Dallas Cowboys have exercised the 5 year option for Micah Parsons. A deal that will pay him $21.32 million fully guaranteed in the 2025 season. Parsons will be playing as a defensive end, which will save $3 million for the team.

Jerry Jones’s team still faces a dilemma before the new season to resolve the contract negotiations for its biggest names. Prescott, in the final year of his contract, is set to earn $29 million in base salary. The QB, 31, will be eligible to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason, if a compromise cannot be reached.

CeeDee Lamb is also entering the final year of his rookie contract, with the WR reportedly turning down a $33 million per season offer as he seeks to match Minnesota Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, who is on a $140 million four-year deal.

As such, the Cowboys face a challenging time and if Parsons and Hooker have decided to let bygones be bygones, they will have one less problem to worry about.