Another day, another barb thrown Micah Parsons’ way by a member of the Cowboys brass.
The team and the star edge rusher are at a contract-extension standoff with training camp already open, and with few signs of any significant movement toward resolving the situation.
Parsons is in the final year of his rookie deal, making $24 million, and would hit free agency if he and Dallas cannot come to some form of an agreement.
Cowboys fans have been getting on owner Jerry Jones to hammer out a deal with Parsons, greeting him with “pay Micah” chants at camp on Saturday
His son Stephen Jones, the team’s executive vice president, put the onus on Parsons when asked about the fans’ uneasiness with the situation.
“It doesn’t change anything,” Stephen Jones told reporters on Sunday. “We want to pay Micah too. He’s gotta want to be paid.”
The Cowboys rewarded tight end Jake Ferguson with a four-year, $52 million extension on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Parsons, a two-time, first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, is likely seeking a deal in the neighborhood of the extension T.J. Watt signed with the Steelers that pays him $41 million a year.
Jerry Jones opened up about his frustration with the situation last week during a press conference to open training camp. He needled Parsons for missing six games last season with injury, saying that even if they sign him, it “doesn’t mean we’re going to have him.”
He later expanded on why there may be some hesitancy on the Cowboys’ side to a long-term deal.
“Contracts are four, five years, OK? There’s a lot of water under the bridge if you step out there and do something in the first two or three,” Jones said. “You can get hit by a car, seriously. So 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 players, and then they didn’t pan out after they committed to them? We have.”
Parson reiterated his desire to remain with the Cowboys while firing back at the Jones a day later, but adding that “they sign the checks” and “let’s see if they want me to be here” in the long term.
“I think they got their own timeline on when they want to get things done,” Parsons said of “So I don’t think that helps. I’m doing this for myself and my teammates. This isn’t for Jerry, this isn’t for Stephen. … I can get better by just being here and being here for [my teammates].”