Predicting when the Cowboys' drama with Micah Parsons might end, plus eight NFL teams just got new uniform

Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

We're going to start things off today with some absolutely unbelievable news: The NFL regular season will be kicking off in exactly ONE WEEK. That's right, this is your last Thursday night without NFL football until January. Please plan accordingly. 

As if that news isn't big enough, there's some even bigger news today: Micah Parsons was spotted at the airport in Dallas on his way out of Texas! Where was he going? We'll try to answer that in today's newsletter, so let's get to the rundown. 

As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. 

1. Predicting how the Micah Parsons drama will end

The Cowboys' first game of the season is just one week away and they still haven't gotten a new deal done with Micah Parsons. Over the past 24 hours, there have been some interesting developments, so let's cover those. 

• Parsons was spotted getting on a plane at DFW. Parsons isn't even with the team right now and that's because he's out seeking a second opinion on his injured back. The Cowboys believe that Parsons' back is good to go for practice, but he doesn't seem to think that it's quite ready, so he jumped on a plane to visit with a specialist (You can see a photo of him at the airport here).  
• Packers seem interested in a trade. The Packers are "interested" in possibly acquiring Parsons, according to Pro Football Talk. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst was asked about Parsons and although he wasn't allowed to mention the Cowboys' star by name, he left the door wide open for possibly going after him. "Every opportunity that's out there that we think can help the Packers, we're going to take a long, hard look at," Gutekunst said. 
• Parsons has filed a grievance against the Cowboys. If he doesn't get a new deal, Parsons will play out the final year of his rookie deal on the fifth-year option. Under terms of the contract, the option pays you based on what position you played during the first four years. The Cowboys say Parsons should be paid as a defensive end (which pays $21.32 million in 2025), but Parsons says he should be paid as a linebacker (which pays $24 million). The fact that the Cowboys won't even give him this money tells you all you need to know about the animosity between the two sides. 

CBS Sports NFL writer Garrett Podell is in Dallas and has had a front-row seat to all of the drama. Here are his predictions for how this plays out: 

• Will Parsons be traded? Almost certainly not. 
• When will this end? The real answer is when Jerry Jones decides he wants to engage with David Mulugheta, Parsons' agent, and actually hammer out contract details with him in the picture along with Parsons himself. Jones was willing to wait until mere hours before kickoff in Week 1 last season before signing Dak Prescott to a four-year, $240 million contract extension. ... So the back-and-forth could conclude in a week's time, but if it doesn't, during the 2025 season is a possibility as is next offseason following the application of the franchise tag. 

You can read Podell's full breakdown on the situation here. 

When all is said and done, Parsons is expected to get a deal that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, an honor that currently belongs to T.J. Watt at $41 million per year. 

2. NFL 'Rivalries' uniforms are here: Eight teams just got a new alternate look

There were a lot of new uniforms unveiled during the month of July and we just got eight more on Thursday thanks to the NFL's "Rivalries" program. This program was announced DURING the 2025 NFL Draft back in April, so a lot of people missed the initial announcement.

Here's what you need to know: 

• What is the "Rivalries" program? It likes the NFL's Color Rush campaign from a few years ago, but with a twist. Over the next four seasons, one NFC division and one AFC division per year will get to debut a new "Rivalries" uniform. 

Here's when each division will be getting their new "Rivalries" uniform: 

• 2025: AFC East and NFC West
• 2026: AFC South and NFC North
• 2027: AFC West and NFC East
• 2028: AFC North and NFC South

This year's set of uniforms were unveiled today and you can check out ALL of them here. If you want to see just the helmets, you can do that here.  Arizona has a sand-colored uniform that is unilke anything I've ever seen in the NFL. The Dolphins have a black uniform that features turquoise numbers and it's also pretty sharp. 

The first batch of "Rivalries" uniforms will be worn in Week 4 with the Cardinals (vs. Seahawks) and Dolphins (vs. Jets) both showing off their new look. Each team will only wear their "Rivalries" jersey once this year and you can see the date for each team's game here. 

3. Ranking the teams most likely to go from worst to first 

One of the best things about the NFL is that it's so unpredictable every season. If your favorite team came in last place in its division last year that doesn't really matter, because there's always a chance it could turn things around this year. 

Since 2015, there have been a total of 10 teams that have gone worst to first by winning a division title one year after finishing in last place. That's an average of just over one per year.

With that in mind, I decided to rank every last-place team from 2024 based on who has the best chance of winning its division n 2025.

1. 49ers. The big thing working in the 49ers' favor is that every other team in the division has at least one giant question mark. The defending champion Rams have an aging quarterback (Matthew Stafford), who's dealing with a back injury. The Seahawks will be led by Sam Darnold, who will be out to prove that he wasn't just a one-year wonder in Minnesota last season. And then there's the Cardinals, who can never seem to get out of their own way (They've only won the division once over the past 15 years). The 49ers have won this division in two of the past three years and there's no reason they can't do it this year.

2. Patriots. If there's anyone out there who can figure out how to topple the Bills and win the AFC East, it's Mike Vrabel. During his last stint as a coach in Tennessee, Vrabel made the playoffs three times in six seasons. Vrabel wins by playing tough defense and the Patriots have built him a defensive unit that can play his brand of football. The Pats brought in players like Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, Harold Landry and Robert Spillane, and that could be the heart of a dangerous New England defense, and that could be the heart of a dangerous New England defense. The Patriots also have the easiest strength of schedule in the AFC, so this certainly feels like a team that could surprise some people in 2025. 

3. Bears. The one thing holding the Bears back from possibly winning the NFC North is that they have a brutal schedule. They play 11 games against teams that finished above .500 last season, which is the second-most in the NFL. They play the AFC North and NFC East on top of their six division games. This team could certainly finish above .500, but it's hard to see them winning a loaded NFC North.

If you want to see where the other five last-place teams ranked, you'll have to read my full story here. 

4. Breaking down the Rashee Rice suspension

Rashee Rice officially won't be on the field for the first six games of the season after being hit with a suspension by the NFL on Wednesday. Rice was punished for his involvement in a hit-and-run crash that occurred back in March 2024. Here's a look at the games that Rice will be missing this year: 

Week 1: vs. Chargers (in Brazil)
Week 2: Eagles
Week 3: at Giants
Week 4: Ravens
Week 5: at Jaguars
Week 6: Lions

With four of their first six games coming against teams that made the playoffs last season, including a Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles, that feels like a brutal slate, but Tyler Sullivan says that Rice's suspension is actually coming at a good time. 

• Why this is positive for the Chiefs: Serving the suspension out of the gate allows for Rice to hit the ground running when he does return. Before this news came out, there was the possibility of Rice beginning the year with the Chiefs until his previously scheduled disciplinary hearing with the NFL on Sept. 30. That would've allowed him to play over the first month, but exposed him to possibly serving the suspension in the middle of the year. That scenario would've been suboptimal for the Kansas City offense.

Sully also notes that the Chiefs' most difficult games during that span -- Eagles, Ravens and Lions -- are all at home, where the Chiefs went undefeated last year. If you want to read Sullivan's full breakdown of the situation, including how this could impact your fantasy team, be sure to check out his story here. 

5. Ranking NFC contenders by tiers

Since the NFL season will be kicking off in exactly one week with two NFC teams (Cowboys at Eagles), we thought today would be the perfect time to rank all the NFC contenders by tiers. 

We put Garrett Podell in charge of this, and according to Garrett, there are only four real contenders in the conference.  

TIER 1: Real contenders -- Eagles, Lions, Packers, Rams 

TIER 2: Fringe contenders -- Commanders, Buccaneers

TIER 3: Wild card wildnerness -- Falcons, Cowboys, 49ers, Bears, Cardinals, Vikings, Seahawks

TIER 4: How many days until the draft -- Giants, Panthers

TIER 5: Sorry Saints -- Saints

If you want to know how Garrett came up with his tiers, he explained himself very thoroughly and you can check out his explanation here. 

6. Extra points: Ravens hand out record-setting extension

It was a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Kyle Hamilton lands record-setting contract. The Ravens safety agree to a massive new extension on Wednesday, signing a four-year, $100.4 million deal that includes $82 million guaranteed. At $25.1 million per year, Hamilton is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. And his $82 million in guaranteed money blows by the previous record for a safety, which was $45 million. We've got the details on Hamilton's signing here. 
• Bengals add veteran guard. It's been a big week for the Bengals, not only did they get a deal done with Trey Hendrickson, but they also filled one of their biggest needs by adding Dalton Risner. The veteran guard will likely come in and quickly compete for some playing time at right guard, which is Cincinnati's biggest weakness on the offensive line heading into the season.
• NFL to adjust broadcast rules for Tom Brady. As a part owner of the Raiders, Brady wasn't allowed to attend production meetings with teams ahead of his Fox broadcasts last season, but that will change in 2025. According to The Athletic, Brady will now be able to participate in production meetings with players and coaches. However, he still won't be allowed to attend practice, which is something other broadcasters are permitted to do. 
• Texans have no idea when Joe Mixon will be able to play. If you have a Fantasy draft this week, do NOT draft Joe Mixon. He's already slated to miss at least the miss four games with a mysterious ankle injury and he could actually miss more than that. Texans GM Nick Caserio gave an ominous answer when asked he expected Mixon to suit up this season, "We'll see," Caserio said. "He will be evaluated after the four-week period." You can read more about Mixon here.