Cowboys’ Micah Parsons at Training Camp; Jerry Jones Sparks Contract Drama

Given that the Dallas Cowboys have gone 29 seasons since appearing in an NFC Championship Game — the longest drought in the conference — owner Jerry Jones has found himself occasionally considering whether to step down as general manager.

“Yes, momentary,” he said Monday. “Small fractions of seconds, I promise you.”

With his player personnel duties seemingly not changing anytime soon, Jones remains focused on how to get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl. That seems unlikely to happen anytime soon without a happy, healthy and productive Micah Parsons in the fold, and the star defender’s contract dispute was the primary topic of discussion Monday before the start of training camp.

“There’s nothing new about what we’re talking about here today relative to contracts,” Jones said.

“If you say, ‘Well, if you don’t get him in you’re going to lose the first two games, then go on to win the Super Bowl,’ well, we’ll take that,” he continued, referencing running back Emmitt Smith’s 1993 holdout.

There were no updates on the on-field status of Parsons — who was present for the start of camp — from Jones, executive vice president of personnel Stephen Jones or new coach Brian Schottenheimer. It’s the second straight offseason where financial dealings with standout players risk overshadowing the Cowboys’ football preparations.

The ever-loquacious Jerry Jones alternated between praising Parsons’ business acumen and pointing out he had dealt with an injury for the first time in his career, missing a handful of games because of a high ankle sprain. He seemingly took a dig at Parsons’ durability when probed about what they’d do if he didn’t practice.

“He was hurt six games last year, seriously,” Jones said. “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 in Dak Prescott. So, there [are] a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”

When asked if the average annual salary is part of the reason why the Cowboys haven’t been able to come to terms yet on a deal with Parsons, CEO Stephen Jones said it wasn’t “productive to talk about any details about what’s holding what up.”

“Contracts are four, five years, OK?” Jerry Jones chimed in. “There’s a lot of water under the bridge if you step out there and do something in the first two or three. … There’s a lot to look at over a lot of years that could make a big difference. 

“Have you ever heard of any clubs committing to any players, and they didn’t pan out after they committed to them? We have.”

Jones also indicated that he had yet to speak to Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta. Still, the 82-year-old Jones said he still enjoys making player personnel decisions, even against the backdrop of constant criticism.

While Parsons didn’t directly respond to Jerry Jones’ comment, it appears that he was displeased with what his team owner said. He reshared a social media post made by former NFL star J.J. Watt that read, “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.”

Parsons had 12.0 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 13 games (Jones mistakenly said that Parsons missed six games), the lowest tallies of his four seasons in Dallas in each category. The 26-year-old defensive end is present at camp, something the elder Jones appreciates, but it isn’t clear if Parsons will participate in the first practice. He’s going into the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, and the Cowboys would be able to apply the franchise tag in 2026.

Micah Parsons has been one of the game’s top edge rushers since the Cowboys drafted him in 2021. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

The edge rusher market exploded this offseason. Only five players have eclipsed Nick Bosa’s previous record mark for the highest salary among edge rushers ($34 million), with T.J. Watt becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history last week; he signed a three-year, $123 million deal, giving him an annual salary of $41 million.

Previously, Prescott participated in training camp last year before getting a new contract before the start of the season that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb held out of camp before receiving a new $136 million, four-year contract with $100 million guaranteed last August. Those protracted dealings came ahead of a 7-10 season that marked the end of Mike McCarthy’s five-year run as coach.

Tuesday will serve as an indication of how Parsons feels about his contract talks with the Cowboys. Even though he did report to the team for training camp, he could opt not to participate in the team’s first training practice and “hold in,” an approach that has become popular among players in contract disputes who are aiming to avoid getting fined. 

Parsons admitted on the “Six Feet Under” podcast earlier in July that he thinks Cowboys ownership has made contract talks “more complicated than it has to be,” but he said in a separate interview with PennLive last week that he’s “going to get mine no matter what.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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