Micah Parsons had a pretty pointed statement for Jerry Jones after the Cowboys owner took shots at him during a press conference a day earlier.
Jones suggested to the media that one of the reasons the Cowboys and Parsons hadn’t yet agreed on a contract extension was due to injury issues. On Tuesday, the defensive end mentioned that there had been “little progress” regarding the contract.
Parsons reported to camp Tuesday and was a limited participant in on-field workouts, going through warmups with the team.
“I want to stay here; I’ve always expressed that, but ultimately, they have the final say since they’re the ones who handle the finances. At the end of the day, let’s see if they want me to remain here,” Parsons stated.
When he was asked if being at camp would help his contract negotiations, he seemingly fired back at the Cowboys owner and general manager, Jones.
“I believe they have their own schedule for when they plan to finalize things,” Parsons commented about Jones and Stephen Jones, the executive vice president of personnel.
“So I don’t think that helps. I’m doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn’t for Jerry, this isn’t for Stephen. … I can get better by just being here and being here for [my teammates].”
Jones expressed optimism that a deal would get done Monday, but not before he seemingly took shots at Parsons and quarterback Dak Prescott, both of whom had suffered injuries last year.
Parsons appeared in 13 games and finished with 12 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
“Just because we sign him, doesn’t mean we’re going to have him. He was hurt six games last year, seriously,” Jones said on Monday. “I remember signing a player for the highest paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year, Dak Prescott, so there’s a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”
The comments drew the ire of former defensive end J.J. Watt, who posted to social media to chide the Cowboys owner.
It also gave Parsons some pause.
“When you go around the league and see these other teams taking care of their best guys,” Parsons said. “You wish you had that same type of energy.”
