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Todd Archer
OXNARD, Calif. — Micah Parsons‘ trade request on Friday has not swayed Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones, who said he will not consider trading the star pass rusher.
“I think the world of Micah,” Jones said after Saturday’s practice. “And that [request] is just a part of negotiation.”
Jones spent 16 minutes answering questions about Parsons’ contract situation, the agreement the owner believes they made in March, and sarcastically mentioned the back tightness that has kept the Pro Bowler off the field so far through nine training camp practices.
“That is 30 years of old stuff, some of these issues we’re hearing about trading, hurt backs, all that kind of stuff,” Jones said.
But Jones would not say whether he expected Parsons on the field for the Sept. 4 season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“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 made his trade request publicly with a social media postciting, among other things, “repeated shots” from the organization.
“Unfortunately I no longer want to be here,” Parsons wrote. “I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me. I had purposely stayed quiet in hopes of getting something done.”
Parsons was on the practice field Saturday, starting the workout less than 10 yards away from executive vice president Stephen Jones. However, for the first time in camp, he was not in his No. 11 practice jersey and spent more time with quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers than with the defense during drills.
As the team went through some 11-on-11 work, Parsons sat on the grass underneath the perch where Jones watches practice between the two fields. After practice, a loud chant of “We want Micah” broke out from the fans near the field.
Jones said he has not spoken with Parsons since the request was made.
Jones reiterated he and Parsons reached an agreement on a deal in March when they met in the owner’s office. In his social media post, Parsons said the visit was supposed to be about leadership and Jones turned it to the contract.
Jones said Parsons took that offer off the table. Jones would not divulge specific details of the agreement but made a reference to “guaranteeing somebody almost $200 million” in comments Saturday.
“What y’all don’t know is what I offered him, and it’s a helluva lot more than you think I did,” Jones said. “That’s what you don’t know … But my point is I reached. Make no mistake about it. I reached.”
Since Jones and Parsons met back in March, elite pass rushers Myles Garrett (four years, $160 million), Maxx Crosby (three years, $106.5 million) and T.J. Watt (three years, $123 million) have signed extensions.
Parsons is set to make $21.324 million this season on the fifth-year option. Without an extension this season, the Cowboys could use the franchise tag on Parsons from 2026 to 2028, however, that last number would be at the cost of the top five highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Cowboys and Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, have not had any talks about a deal. Jones mentioned that he has done contracts with star players over the years by “the double handful.”
“It’s very important that if you want to change the contract that we’ve got right now, which this would, that I agree to what we changed,” Jones said. “That’s why it was so good when we sat down together and spent lot of time going back and forth adjusting and we had that exercise together [in March].”
“What y’all don’t know is what I offered him and it’s a helluva lot more than you think I did. That’s what you don’t know … But my point is I reached. Make no mistake about it. I reached.”
Jerry Jones on his March meeting with Micah Parsons
What about the agent?
“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.”
The Cowboys have a recent history of protracted negotiations when it comes to signing their star players. Two years ago, future Hall of Fame guard Zack Martin missed the early portion of training camp looking for a renegotiated deal. Last year, CeeDee Lamb signed a four-year, $136 million contract after missing the entire portion of camp in Oxnard. Dak Prescott agreed to a $60 million-a-year deal hours before last year’s season opener.
Ultimately, however, all of those deals have gotten done.
“I’m really glad you brought that up,” Jones said. “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. 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.'”
