Micah Parsons goes head-to-head with sumo wrestler in Japan

Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons and Texans QB CJ Stroud are having a once-in-a-lifetime experience overseas. After hosting a youth football camp in Beijing, China, then visiting the Great Wall, then throwing out a first pitch at the Tokyo Dome, home of the Yomiuri Giants, Parsons and Stroud then did some sumo wrestling with pros in Tokyo.

The Bleacher Report crew, with whom the duo have been working since their draft night coverage, captured several bouts of Parsons grappling with a sumo wrestler. At first, the former first-rounder looks out-matched, but he quickly figures out the technique. After his first attempt, Parsons took some light ribbing from the wrestler, egged on by Stroud.

Micah Parsons went 1v1 with a sumo wrestler 😳

This Tokyo trip is WILD. pic.twitter.com/Fl2hkCHW9g

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 5, 2024

It’s unclear how Parsons and Stroud ended up on this world tour together, but it’s producing some epic content and getting some of the NFL’s biggest stars face time with a whole new market.

The Houston Texans star quarterback and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher held a camp for youth football players in Beijing on Wednesday morning. Stroud and Parsons met the youth players at the Dongfeng International Sports Park in Chaoyang, Beijing. The attendees received a group photo with the duo, along with branded gear and other take-home items from the event’s sponsors.

Stroud and Parsons have an opportunity to battle it out in person this season when the Houston Texans visit the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL hasn’t announced a date for that game yet. It’s a highly anticipated matchup already with the Diggs brothers set to go head-to-head.

Parsons skipping Cowboys workouts

Micah Parsons skipping the team’s voluntary workouts is par for the course at this time of year for the former Penn State star. He didn’t participate in the team’s voluntary program last year, choosing instead to workout privately.

Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Parsons and right guard Zack Martin are all hoping for big extensions to stay with the team long-term and the holdout from voluntary workouts could be part of the push for those deals.

For now, the Cowboys’ activities are voluntary. That changes when the mandatory minicamp comes around in early June. The team’s spring workouts are exclusively for strength and conditioning, as outlined by the CBA.

“Everybody goes about it a different way,” Jones said. “We’ve had guys who have been around. [Ezekiel Elliott] was never around when he was wanting a contract. So, we’ve dealt with both. We respect Zeke, but you prefer that they’re around when they’re under contract. It’s part of the business.

“You don’t love it, but it’s part of the business.”