Cowboys fans have shouted “Pay Micah” at Jerry and Stephen Jones throughout training camp. However, alas, it has had no effect.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that discussions between the Cowboys and Micah Parsons, their star player, have regressed rather than progressed since earlier in the year. As of late July, early August, they are farther from an agreement than they were back in March or April.
“Both parties have moved backward in their talks,” Schefter shared with Pat McAfee. “Currently, there’s little to no communication happening between them regarding a deal. The negotiation phase has stalled completely and isn’t active right now.
“However, this situation could shift either by next week or as the season approaches. Historically, Dallas has been known to delay finalizing deals, exemplified by their negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott last season.”
Parsons is facing the last year of his rookie deal and has observed other top pass rushers like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt secure record-breaking contracts, despite being older.
Conversely, the Cowboys have been hesitant to re-sign Parsons, citing issues like his four-game absence due to injury last season, among other considerations.
Schefter continued, pointing out that the tension between Parsons and the Cowboys seems “personal.”
“It seems Dallas is frustrated because they believed progress was being made, but discussions have now derailed,” Schefter commented. “Meanwhile, Micah Parsons probably expected this deal to have been finalized by now.”
“I don’t think Micah’s real happy with them. I don’t think they’re real happy with him. I don’t think anybody’s real happy with anybody, and I don’t think there’s a deal that’s being discussed right now, not to mention being close.”
As of June, at least, Parsons expressed hope that he and the Cowboys would come to an agreement.
“I’m pretty hopeful. I’m still hanging tight. I understand it’s up to [Jerry Jones]. He gives the green light on everything. So hopefully something is done by next month,” Parsons said at the time.
That spirit of good feelings ended abruptly in July, however, when Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones used Parsons’ injuries from last year as a reason to not pay the star pass rusher’s asking price.
“Just because we sign him, doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,” Jones said earlier this month.
“He was hurt [four, not six] games last year. Seriously. 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,” Jones continued. “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.”
While injury concerns must factor into any decision, that argument probably falls short with Parsons’ camp, who could turn around and argue that despite missing four games, Parsons still recorded more sacks than Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, and Watt is not only older than Parsons but signed a $123 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history,
In any event, Parsons will play for Dallas this season. But after that, all bets are off.
