Surely, we can expect to see Cowboys star Micah Parsons on an NFL field at some point this season. But it remains uncertain whether that will be in Dallas, where his tussle with the Cowboys’ brass over his contract extension has gotten surprisingly bitter.
And according to owner Jerry Jones, the epicenter of this entirely unnecessary struggle, the Cowboys are not counting on Parsons being on the field for Week 1, when the Cowboys open on a Thursday night in Philadelphia against the defending-champion Eagles.
If history is any guide, and Parsons sits out all of training camp–or conducts a “hold-in” in which he shows up but does not participate–that could mean trouble for both Parsons and the Cowboys. Players just can’t be ready for a season without a full and engaged training camp.
And if Parsons is not playing in Week 1, who knows how long he will sit out?
Micah Parsons Not in Contact With Jerry Jones
Jones, who never misses the chance to hold court with reporters, told the media yesterday that he did not have confidence Parsons would be on the field against the Eagles.
“Again no. Absolutely not,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that? I’m just saying, I’m urgent.”
Jones said he still thinks highly of Parsons.
He continued: “I think the world of Micah. Like I’ve said, I’ve had social time with Micah, which isn’t always the case, but I have. He’s one of the brightest people that I’ve ever been around and he’s very, very talented. Now, how we ultimately meld him into our future is a challenge. I’m built for it and he’s built for it.”
Cowboys Won’t Contact Agent
But the crux of the disagreement here is that Jones felt he had a verbal agreement with Parsons when the two spoke earlier this year. Parsons, who has a $24 million contract in place for his fifth-year option in 2025, has been willing and even eager to re-sign with the Cowboys.
Parsons wanted the Cowboys to make the verbal agreement official through his agent, the highly respected David Mulugheta. But Jones has dug in, and has not spoken with Parsons or Mulugheta.
It’s a bit ridiculous, of course, to expect a player to finalize a deal at the NFL level without his agent. But such is the state of the Cowboys, and Jones’s intransigence could cost the team and Parsons a chunk of the 2025 schedule.
Cowboys Have Been Here Before
We’ve seen this movie before, of course, from the Cowboys. They waited until the team’s opener to sign star quarterback Dak Prescott in 2024, and waited until there was just a week left before the season to sign receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Prescott participated in camp, and Lamb did not. Lamb, of course, struggled early in the year. He wound up with 101 catches and 1,194 yards last season, but averaged a pedestrian 5.0 catches and 75.6 yards in the team’s first five games.
That’s the concern about Parsons and the Cowboys’ 2025 season. The Cowboys defense is thin and desperately needs Parsons to be on the field and at his best, and there’s plenty of evidence that players who miss camp inevitably start slowly.
The Cowboys can’t afford that. But with less than a month to go, that’s where the situation is heading.
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