It’s like owning a gold mine, but refusing to dig because the shovel costs a few coins. That’s what Jerry Jones looks like delaying Micah Parsons’ contract. While (almost) every other team was busy locking in and focusing on training camp, Parsons took to social media earlier this month with a heavy heart and hammer, wrote, “I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.” Not even this was a wake-up call. Even though negotiations had begun on an easy note, the entry of Parsons’ agent made it all blow up in a poof. Now the question is — has the ship sailed?

As if the trade request was not enough, reports of a back injury have surfaced for Micah Parsons. He also missed training camp for the very first time. Jerry Jones should be sweating bullets, yet there has been no headline announcing a new contract. For context, Parsons is set to bag $24M on his fifth year option from the franchise this season. Not exactly pocket change, but still well short of what a player of his caliber in his position is earning in the NFL nowadays.

Now, Parsons is projected to make over $41 million per season. The price might be steep, but league-wide advice for Jones is simple: pay up. Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith was recently spotted in a viral X video delivering that message bluntly. “So you gotta have your dog on the football field.”

Calling Parsons a key player is an understatement. Smith captured it perfectly, saying, “[he’ll get] the numbers for you. And he’s a staple of that defence. You already depleted the talent.” Just imagine removing Joe Burrow from the Bengals or Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs. That is the level of impact Parsons has in Dallas. Smith summed it up perfectly, “Some guys think that anybody can play at that position.”

The numbers speak for themselves. Parsons etched his name into Cowboys history with a rookie-record 13.0 sacks, tied for the third-most ever by an NFL rookie. He terrorized offenses with a team-leading 42 pressures and 12 tackles for loss, leaving quarterbacks rattled and coordinators sleepless. If we even look beyond his current stats and compare him with elites, respect is still due.

Parsons has recorded 52.5 sacks in his first four seasons, trailing only Reggie White (70), Derrick Thomas (58), J.J. Watt (57), and DeMarcus Ware (53.5) since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Nobody can question his contribution to the Cowboys’ defense. Parsons hit 12 in 2024 despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain.

Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Parsons can be fined $50,000 a day if he leaves camp. Jones risks stretching his 30-year championship drought with this gamble. It all comes down to whether Parsons’ trade request is a Myles Garrett-style bluff or a declaration he fully intends to honor.

Is it too late for Jerry Jones to make nice with Micah Parsons?

The league is baffled trying to decipher Jerry Jones’ game plan. ESPN’s Adam Schefter questioned, “What would be the Cowboys’ plan here? Well, if obviously they can’t get a long-term deal done, and the two sides are not even talking about it right now, then they can always have Micah this year… if he plays. And they have the franchise tag after this year.” The silence at the negotiating table is deafening.

Dallas has weathered contract battles before. Last year, they went through stalemates with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. But this feels different. “I don’t think they like each other,” Dan Orlovsky said this week about Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones’ strained relationship. It is a rift harder to repair. The Cowboys’ 31-21 preseason loss to the Rams was played with most stars wrapped in caution. Yet the Parsons cloud still hung over the team.

The price for Parsons is no mystery. He could command the kind of money Myles Garrett or T.J. Watt pulled in. Garrett inked a $160 million four-year deal. Watt signed for $123 million over three years. Both contracts reset the market for elite defensive playmakers. Parsons just wants some long-term certainty and a contract that commands respect across the league.

Jones is taking heat from every direction. Critics believe he is on the wrong side of history in this standoff. “Now they’ve been very opposed to that idea, publicly saying, we’re not interested in trading him,” Schefter continued. “He’s not going to be dealt. But you can’t not sign the guy, and then you can’t not trade him.” Parsons’ frustration is more than justified.