What has stopped the Cowboys from negotiating a contract with their defensive end, Micah Parsons? “Nothing,” says Jerry Jones. When asked about any deadline to know whether Parsons will play in Week 1 against the Eagles, Jones replied, “No, not at all. You don’t have deadlines when you’re playing under a contract.” The contract dispute between Jones and Parsons that began over a misunderstanding has now rolled into the latter seeking a trade.

Parson’s contract negotiation with the Cowboys throughout the offseason is well known. He is on his fifth-year option of his rookie contract and is set to make about $24 million this season. But both parties appear to be at odds with each other over the future. And the chatter on social media has remained on what the Cowboys will decide for Parsons. The conversation was also on at the Law Nation Sports, where the broadcasters shared their takes on this dispute. A podcast guest, Daniel, explained on the show that the Cowboys should have signed the player last year.

While speaking of the contract and the Cowboys’ fans’ sentiments, he went on to make a big revelation. “They waited this long. We got fans over here saying that they want to trade him(Parsons) for a big package,” he said.

However, there’s more to this complicated chaos.  He believes that it won’t be easy to trade the defensive end. “My thing is that if we trade them away, we have to get four first-round picks and more,” he explained. Most teams aren’t willing or able to offer that kind of package. He even added that Jones is likely on his “own feelings” for the time, and Parsons “will get paid.”

So, it seems Parsons’ wish to get traded won’t be an easy one to fulfill. Earlier, the player made his thoughts clear on the situation. “I have made a tough decision. I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally,” he had posted. This comes after the misunderstanding between Jones and Parsons’ agent surfaced.

Jones reportedly believed that he had struck a deal directly with Parsons, but the 26-year-old wanted his agent to handle negotiations. And when the agent stepped in, the Cowboys refused to engage, insisting they already had a deal. This miscommunication has led to a tense standoff between Parsons, his agent, and the team, as The Athletic’s Dianna Russini explained.

The situation hasn’t changed much with Parsons now maintaining silence on the matter. But will this work out for the defensive end?

NFL analyst called out Micah Parsons’ strategy amid contract negotiations

Well, Parsons has been present at the team’s meetings. He has been involved in the walk-throughs and other activities, but he hasn’t participated in any practices. Citing his back issues as the reason, and currently receiving treatment, Parsons has stayed out of live drills.

While this strategy has saved him from fines unlike others, it has also left him under-prepared for the opener against Philadelphia. With each practice missed, he loses valuable time with coaches and teammates. NFL analyst Mike Florio pointed out that the situation might not be ideal for Parsons.

He said that if Parsons intends to play, he has to be fully prepared. “Parsons and the Cowboys have the shortest fuse. They face the Cowboys [Eagles] in 19 days. Parsons, if he’s going to play, needs to be ready to go. It means that he needs to be properly acclimated, in order to reduce the risk of injury. Of course, the risk of injury is minimized if Parsons doesn’t play,” he said.

The longer Parsons delays returning to practice or engaging fully with the team, the greater the risk he falls behind in understanding and keeping up with the Cowboys’ strategies. The Cowboys cannot afford to lose such a key player and risk weakening their defense. It remains to be seen how the team will handle the situation moving forward.