As Micah Parsons' contract negotiations with the Dallas Cowboys have stretched into a second year, neither side has been quiet on the topic.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made the latest public comment in the ongoing saga Monday, and this one might lead to some head-scratching.
"Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're gonna have him," Jones told reporters Monday. "He was hurt six games last year. Seriously."
Parsons missed four games last season, not six, with a high left ankle sprain. It was
the first time he missed games due to injury in his NFL career.
The 26-year-old has 52.5 sacks in four seasons and is in line to earn approximately $24 million in 2025 on the fifth-year option from his original rookie deal. He is reportedly seeking a record-setting $200 million contract before he takes the field for another game.
Parsons, a two-time All-Pro pick with 12 sacks or more in each of his first four seasons, opted to join the team at training camp in Oxnard, Calif., on Monday amid the ongoing negotiations, which Jones acknowledged Monday.
"Leadership is really big. I'm appreciative of Micah being here, I am," Jones said. "I'm big into showing anything you can do for leadership if you're gonna be in the top drawer of all the money."
Parsons, to be certain, is headed for that top drawer.
New additions to the highest rung on the pass rusher pay scale were made in recent days while Parsons openly pondered why Jones was "overcomplicating" the contract standoff.
Instead of signing Parsons to a contract extension at the end of last season or earlier in the offseason at a rate of approximately $35 million per year, the Cowboys held off in a tactic Jones continued to defend on Monday. Meanwhile, the Steelers caved to demands of 31-year-old T.J. Watt last week, when he became the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at an average of $41 million per season. That's $1 million better than Myles Garrett, 30, achieved in his contract extension with the Browns in March.
Later on Monday, Parsons shared an X post by Watt's brother J.J. Watt that appeared to take a shot at Jones' comments about Parsons' missed games.
"Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it... Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you," J.J. Watt wrote.
In a recent conversation on the "Six Feet Under" podcast, Parsons pointed to Jones as the one with the power to determine just how quickly peace is restored.
"We obviously wanted to get done early. We want that relief off our backs. But, obviously, ownership is always gonna make it drag out -- make it more complicated than it has to be. Lack of communication and that standpoint," Parsons said on the podcast.
Jones said he wants Parsons involved in training camp and to "be a leader" as head coach Brian Schottenheimer allowed for the possibility his star defender would conduct a "hold-in," meaning he's physically present at camp but only as a non-participant to avoid injury risks.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones hinted that the Cowboys would encourage players in Parsons' position to "bet on himself," even if recent history reveals the franchise jumped to get holdouts signed before the start of the regular season. Most recently, the scenario played out one year ago with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and, before that, freshly retired Zack Martin.
"Obviously, when you're all here together at camp, it makes for a good environment to try and get some things done before the season starts," Stephen Jones said. "At the end of the day, it does take two. A lot of times, you might be surprised where we might be and where they might've been, where they were wanting to hold. And most players do understand if you're willing to take risks, if you're willing to go out on the field and do your contract, and you play well and bet on yourself, usually, it'll happen in a positive way for the player. They understand that."
--Field Level Media
