Contract drama is heating up across the NFL, and some big names are in the middle of it—Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), T.J. Watt (Steelers), and Micah Parsons (Cowboys). But when it comes to handling these situations, no franchise does it quite like the Dallas Cowboys. Why? Two words: Jerry Jones.

The Cowboys’ longtime owner has a reputation for doing things his own way, especially when it comes to money. Jones is known for cutting costs on coaches and staff while handing out big contracts to star players, but not without stirring the pot. Just look at what happened with CeeDee Lamb. Despite inking a four-year, $136 million deal, Lamb’s offseason turned chaotic after he skipped voluntary workouts, mandatory minicamp, and even training camp.

Now, it’s Micah Parsons caught in the middle of the Jones method. Back in April, Jerry claimed he didn’t even remember the name of Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta—a surprising move considering Mulugheta is one of the top agents in the NFL and also represents Steelers wideout George Pickens, who just signed with Pittsburgh.

Speaking to ALLDALLAS.com’s Clarence Hill Jr. on May 15, Jones doubled down on his hands-on approach: “I am the one who has to sign the cheque, and Micah is the one who has to agree to [it]. So that’s the straightest way to get there—the one writing the cheque and the one agreeing to a talk—and that’s the principle that’s involved here. I understand all the other issues, but as you know, it’s not uncommon for me to negotiate directly with players.” That’s the bone of contention here.

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Jerry Jones often tries to exclude agents from negotiations. But Micah Parsons wrote on X in April that he will not sit down at the table until they include his agent. Surprisingly, the Cowboys are ready to pay the linebacker. Hill Jr. claimed that they were ready to make him the highest-paid non-QB player in the league.

The defensive market has been reset with Browns signing a 4-year $160 million DE Myles Garrett. It means the Cowboys are ready to pay Micah more than that. But will Jerry Jones agree to it? He has to work out things fast if he doesn’t want a scene like last year. The LB could also hold in, just like his WR teammate. We also have the 2025 schedule now. So, the owner knows the deadlines too.

Jerry Jones’s CEO reveals feelings on the schedule

This year, the Cowboys’ schedule is pretty interesting. They have a week 10 bye and after week 11, their week 12 game is against the Eagles. From that game till week 17, they play all the teams which qualified for the playoffs this year except the last game against NY Giants. So Dak Prescott will have to conserve his energy for the big games.

While discussing the tough stretch in the second half of the season, Jerry Jones’ son and Cowboys CEO, Stephen Jones, replied, “We’ve got a spicy schedule at the end when you compare it to last year’s playoff teams. We have a big run there, playing a lot of playoff teams. We look forward to that and Schotty’s fired up about the schedule, and we’re ready to go.” There are plenty of issues in America’s Team.

What started as a performance issue has now become a joke in the NFL. Even their veteran Troy Aikman said that he was joking when he said that the Cowboys could win the Super Bowl. Will Jerry Jones assemble the perfect roster that could decimate the rivals and end the 3-decade drought? We will see as the season move on. It will move pretty fast now.