The Dallas Cowboys On Verge Of Repeating History In The Jerry Jones Versus Micah Parsons Contract Feud

Another day and the Dallas Cowboys aren't any closer to signing star edge rusher Micah Parsons and that was clear Thursday morning when Jerry Jones went on national television and explained why.

Jones: Parsons Must Fit Puzzle

Appearing on Fox and Friends, Jones made the point that signing Parsons has to happen within the context of the team's salary structure and cannot be so onerous that the Cowboys cannot add other talent around Parsons.

"Micah's a great player, not a good player but a great player," Jones said. "He knows more than anyone that it's a team thing. I know everybody's tired of hearing this, but you've got to put this puzzle together so you can have other people out there playing with Michael.

"That's the art of the deal and that's what we're trying to get done. And we're trying to make this thing work."

Jerry really needs to get straight on what he calls his team's best defensive player. It's Micah!

It is not Michael.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 11: Jerry Jones, Owner, President & GM, Dallas Cowboys attends the premiere of Netflix's "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on August 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix)

Cowboys Expect Parsons For Opener

Jerry did this earlier this season and no one has apparently had the nerve to correct him so that he doesn't keep doing it.

That's not the bigger point.

The bigger issue is that the Cowboys open the regular season on Sept. 4 against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. 

The team expects Micah Parsons to play in that game because he is under contract for the 2025 season. And, the club understands that absent a contract for 2026, it can use the franchise tag to keep control of Parsons' services for up to two more seasons beyond this one.

But all this grand expectation by the Cowboys doesn't solve the issue because Parsons also has a say in the matter. And so far, he has not practiced during training camp or into the preseason. 

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 29: Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) looks on during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys on December 29, 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jones Takes A Long Time To Bend

So he might decide he's not playing in the regular season.

And then we'd have a contract dispute turn into a standoff – one in which both sides have history that should trouble the other side and Cowboys fans.

Jerry Jones, you must know, has a history of doing contracts late. He waited to get the Dak Prescott contract just before the 2024 season opener. He similarly did so with the CeeDee Lamb contract in late August.

And anyone watching the Netflix documentary on the Cowboys got a clear-eyed view of Jones refusing to pay future Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in 1993.

Smith, wanting to be the highest-paid running back in the NFL, missed the first two regular-season games until Jones paid him.

The point is, Jones has shown a stubbornness about bending to player contract demands even when that approach carries into the regular season.

(Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images)

Parsons Might Miss Regular-Season Games

Parsons also has history on his side because his agent is David Mulugheta. And that makes Parsons a possible regular-season holdout because history says so.

Consider:

• Mulugheta was Jalen Ramsey's agent in 2019 when the cornerback left the team and missed several regular-season games.
• Ramsey was under contract that year on his fifth-year option, just as Parsons is now with Dallas.
• Ramsey demanded a trade. Parsons has demanded a trade.

And, yes, there were other circumstances that led to Ramsey orchestrating his eventual trade to the Rams. 

But the idea that Parsons definitely won't miss regular-season games because he's under contract ignores the fact that both Jones and Parsons could be swayed by history so that exactly that happens.

Pack your bags, football fans! OutKick is sending one lucky winner and a friend to Athens for Georgia vs. Alabama. Travel’s on us, VIP tickets in hand, and bragging rights for life. Enter Now!