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The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons are officially at odds, with the latter holding in while waiting for Jerry Jones and Co. to negotiate a contract extension.
At times this offseason, it seemed as though the two sides might be able to reach a deal without protracted negotiations or hard feelings. However, that's not really how the Cowboys roll.
For yet another summer, Dallas is engaged in a public battle with one of its best players. Two years ago, Zack Martin held out until he agreed with a reworked deal in mid-August; last offseason, it was top wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott, whose negotiations lasted until Aug. 26 and Sept. 8, respectively, before they signed some of the richest deals at their positions.
With Prescott having dealt with something similar just last year, he signaled support for Parsons when speaking with the media.
“I think Micah is doing a helluva job with being here,” Prescott said, via the Dallas Morning News' Calvin Watkins. “He’s a great teammate, he shows up, not just on the practice field and being focused, being the camaraderie [with the players], [going to] dinner. He’s not just doing it to sign off and say, ‘Hey, Jerry, look at me.’ He wants to be out there practicing and honestly I’m glad he’s not. He can’t do that to himself.”
An interesting part of the Cowboys-Parsons negotiations is that there aren't any negotiations, not yet anyway. ESPN's Adam Schefter recently reported that Dallas hasn't offered Parsons a deal and, as a result, was not close in extending the All-Pro edge rusher.
The long summer with no contract talk has seemingly frustrated both sides, with Jones taking an unexpected shot at Parsons for missing four games last season, while Parsons has repeatedly criticized Jones for not engaging with his agent, David Mulugheta.
While the barbs will likely continue at least for a while, Prescott reaffirmed his desire to see Parsons sign a big deal and return to the Cowboys.
“That’s the business of it,” Prescott said. “That’s the business of a holdout. I think he’s taking some great steps in being here. I don’t know if there’s a correct way to handle it, to be honest with you. I will say that, I think he deserves to get paid. He should get paid and ultimately, going off the history from what I’ve seen, he will get paid. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.”
The Cowboys' first preseason game is Aug. 9, while the season opener is Sept. 4 vs. the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
