Jerry Jones doesn’t believe in paperwork. What he trusts is a “handshake.” Classic ’80s business, if you ask him. After all, it’s the same move, he says, that landed him with the Cowboys back in the late ’80s. “I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake,” he told NFL Network’s Jane Slater. “It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands, and the details we worked out later.”

That was then, when $140 million could buy the entire franchise. Today, the Cowboys are an over $10 billion empire. The names have shifted from Troy Aikman to Dak Prescott, from Jimmy Johnson to Brian Schottenheimer. But Jerry? He hasn’t changed a bit. At 82, he still thinks the future of the franchise’s best defensive player, Micah Parsons, should be settled the same way. With a handshake. No agents involved.

During a chat with Michael Irvin, he put it bluntly: “I’ve agreed to give more money that has ever been given in terms of guaranteed money than anyone ever has as far as a defensive player.” That supposed handshake with Parsons was meant to close the deal. Think of 30 seconds like when Jerry bought the Cowboys. Instead, it cracked open months of stalemate, a public trade request, and whispers of an inevitable breakup. Here’s how it unraveled.

When Micah Parsons’ agent denied the gentleman’s handshake

The pass rusher market surged this offseason like never before. Maxx Crosby kicked things off when he signed a three-year, $106.5 million contract, followed by Myles Garrett’s four-year, $160 million deal. Which made everyone wonder: Is Micah Parsons the next? He certainly was. Stephen Jones confirmed it, claiming they “feel good about where we’re headed,” with Micah at the league meetings in Palm Beach. A couple of days later, Jerry chimed in as well.

“I know that I’ve spent five, six hours with him [Parsons] myself and had a lot of discussions. Most of the issues are in agreement, and I’ve discussed it all,” Jerry addressed his contract talks with Micah at the league meetings. At today’s time, Jerry calls it a “handshake” deal and reportedly offered to make Micah the highest-paid non-QB. But things took a sharper turn when Jerry unnecessarily created the additional contract drama by disrespecting Micah’s agent, David Mulugheta.

“The agent is not a factor here or something to worry about,” he added. “And I don’t know his name. My point is, I’m not trying to demean him, but this isn’t about an agent. … I’m not demeaning the agent. I’m just saying everybody can do this, and that’s talk directly to a player.” But Micah shrugged it off. The DE trusted his agent and straight-up claimed, “David is the best and I will not be doing any deal with @DavidMulugheta.” The agent got involved in the negotiation, and that’s where the dispute began.

During his recent chat with Irvin, Jerry bluntly claimed that “When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our a**.” Well, Mulugheta was supposed to do, if we’re being real. As per the NFL Players Association, Parsons has an exclusive representative for any negotiations. That means only one thing: Jerry shouldn’t have directly talked to Micah. But he did. He disrespected Micah’s agent. Micah defended Mulugheta. And that’s how the contract negotiations stalled.

Micah Parsons’ holdout and a dispute that led to a trade request

Holdouts at the OTAs and the training camp are not breaking news in the NFL. And this year wasn’t an exception either. We’ve seen players like TJ Watt and James Cook holding out from team practices before eventually signing a contract extension. It’s a template that pretty much guarantees a big payroll. But in Micah’s world, everything unfolded in reverse.

The 26-year-old pass rusher made an appearance on Day 1 of the OTAs but skipped the rest of the sessions. Despite the ongoing contract standoff with Jerry, he committed to the mandatory minicamp. “[It’s] for me and my relationship with our new head coach to understand where he’s coming from and help him in any way I can to go on this run,” he said. Training camp rolled around, and Parsons showed up again—no on-field reps, but full attendance at meetings and walkthroughs.

The extension? Still MIA, and the frustration was hard to miss. Micah hinted at drastic measures that he was about to commit. “I’ve been pretty consistent: if they don’t want me here, then they don’t want me here. I’ll go about my business,” he said. And then came the big news. The second week of camp rolled in, and Micah confirmed he wants a way out of Dallas.

“I have made a tough decision,” Micah wrote in a statement on X. “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.” Ever since the involvement of Micah’s agent in the contract negotiation, the two sides have remained far apart from getting a deal done. In his statement, Micah pointed out that “Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract.”

But Jerry Jones shrugged things off. Hours after Micah’s trade request, the 82-year-old owner was supposed to address the Dallas Nation, and he sure did. “Don’t lose any sleep over it. That’s one thing I would say to our fans: don’t lose any sleep,” he said. But fast forward to now, and it’s safe to say that it’s too late. The NFL teams have started showing interest in trading for Micah.

The Packers seem the frontrunners for the Cowboys’ DE

Entering his first year as the Cowboys’ head coach, Brian Schottenheimer remains optimistic that Micah Parsons will suit up in the season opener against the Eagles. “I feel good that Micah is going to be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles.” But Micah doesn’t seem too convinced. His ‘X’ handle tells a different tale. The star pass rusher has removed the Cowboys from his ‘X’ bio and replaced it with “TBD.”

The move came hours after Jerry stated to Irvin that “We really have three years to work this out,” hinting at a franchise tag. But at this point, a trade seems more likely than the franchise tag. And NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport expects the Packers to be the frontrunners. “I would say I would expect the Packers would be among the teams really interested,” he said, a couple of days ago.

While the Green Bay team isn’t too well-known for such a trade, expect the general manager, Brian Gutekunst, to make a move if the timing feels right. And on Wednesday, August 20, reporter Sean Wright added another layer to it. “The Green Bay #Packers have held exploratory trade talks with the Dallas #Cowboys centered on star pass rusher Micah Parsons, sources tell me. Newly appointed president Ed Policy is said to be eager to begin his tenure in Green Bay with a major splash,” he wrote on X.

The logic tracks as well. The Packers are entering the 2025 season with Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness. Both have potential, no doubt. But they lack consistent dominance. Micah could flip the script. Will he? Won’t he? That remains to be seen. But one thing’s clear: Jerry Jones is still optimistic about getting a deal done. But the only thing he is not doing is getting a deal done.