Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke publicly this weekend for the first time since edge rusher Micah Parsons requested a trade out of Dallas.
"I think the world of Micah," Jones said after Saturday's practice, via ESPN. "And that (request) is just a part of negotiation."
On Friday, Parsons posted on social media his detailed talks with Jones, concluding with a statement that he no longer wants to play for the Cowboys. Parsons noted that in March, he met with the Cowboys owner about a contract extension.
"In March I met with [owner] Mr. [Jerry] Jones to talk about leadership," Parsons wrote on Friday. "Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me. Yes, I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done."
Five months later, Parsons is still seeking a new deal.
Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, has recorded 12-plus sacks in each of his four seasons in the NFL. He developed almost instantly into one of the league’s elite pass rushers after being drafted No. 12 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
With nearly a month until the season opener on Sept. 4 against the Eagles, Jones wouldn’t say much about whether he expected Parsons to be on the field and ready to go Week 1.
"I don't want to talk about my expectations," Jones said. "Now that is speculating. But I can speak to anything that's happened up until now and that has no sensitivity to me."
Parsons, 26, is entering the final year of his rookie contract, a fifth-year option that was picked up and is worth $24 million in 2025. When compared to the other premier pass rushers in the NFL, it’s nearly $17 million below the top of the market at the position.
If an extension (or trade) can’t get done, the Cowboys could presumably franchise tag on Parsons ahead of next year's free agency.
In Jones’ meeting with Parsons in March, the Cowboys pass rusher did not have his agent, David Mulugheta, present while talking about a potential contract extension. Jones explained why he had a direct discussion with Parsons instead of Mulugheta.
"My experience has been the agent is not the one that solves the problems you have when you're executing what you said you would do in the contract," Jones said. "So I like to deal directly with the player when it's of this nature."
While Parsons has yet to receive a new deal in Dallas, other NFL teams have secured their top pass rushers for the long term.
This offseason, the Raiders awarded Maxx Crosby with a three-year, $106.5 million extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback player in the league on March 5. A few days later, Crosby was surpassed by the Browns’ Myles Garrett, who inked a four-year extension that averages $40 million per year. A couple of months later, the pass-rushing market saw yet another new mark set by the Steelers' T.J. Watt. Watt signed a three-year, $123 million extension.
Dallas has a recent history of stalling contract negotiations with its players. Guard Zack Martin was a holdout until he got his extension done in the middle of August two offseasons ago. Last summer, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed the Cowboys’ training camp in Oxnard while waiting for an extension. Lamb received a four-year, $136 million contract extension after the preseason concluded. Quarterback Dak Prescott also got a contract extension only hours before Week 1 games kicked off on the league's opening Sunday.
Even though those deals went down to the wire at times, Jones eventually got them done before the regular season. He is aware of the situation at hand and wants Cowboys fans at ease with Parsons.
"It seems like that we forget that it's been less than a year and I paid the highest that's been paid in the NFL to Dak and I paid a big price for Lamb," Jones said. "Anybody that says I'm not interested in financially rewarding my players hasn't been looking at the tea leaves. So there's always negotiation and the negotiation is to put the best team on the field. And many times it's not even a question of 'deserving.' ... I enjoy Micah. But as always in any relationships there's different moods at different times of your relationship. That's what it is. Don't lose any sleep over it. That's the one thing I would say to our fans, 'Don't lose any sleep over it.' "