The Cowboys have made it a habit. None of the contract extensions happens without the player sitting out or wanting a trade. This summer, as Micah Parsons’ contract standoff with Jerry Jones spilled into the public eye, one of the franchise’s most storied relationships stepped back into the spotlight. And what came next caught even lifelong fans off guard.

Jimmy Johnson, the Hall of Fame coach who once sparred with Jones, shocked Dallas faithful by coming to the owner’s defense. For a fan base ready to anoint Parsons as the heartbeat of the defense, Johnson’s words felt like siding with the villain in their ongoing drama.

“Give Jerry credit. He is a tireless worker, has great passion and is the finest marketer and businessman I have ever known,” Johnson wrote on X on August 12. It was the sort of endorsement that would have been unimaginable in the mid-’90s, when Johnson’s exit from Dallas was still the defining fracture in the franchise’s modern history. Back then, Johnson and Jones barely masked their contempt, their rivalry over credit and control fueling a split that broke up a dynasty.

But Johnson is now shaking hands with Jerry amid a contract standoff that hasn’t just played out behind closed doors. It’s bled into training camp, where fans in Oxnard turned routine August practices into something closer to a protest. They chanted “We want Micah!” between drills. One held up a cardboard sign telling Jerry Jones to “Sell the team.” Another waved a homemade banner with Parsons’ No. 11 in bold Sharpie, a reminder of whose side they were on.

The noise has only grown outside the facility. On national TV, Stephen A. Smith ripped into Jones for mishandling what he called “the easiest contract decision in football.” Fox Sports’ Nick Wright went further, labeling the owner’s tactics “unethical,” an accusation rooted in the belief that Dallas is trying to drive down Parsons’ value by dragging talks into the season. Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson called the Cowboys “one of the worst-run teams” when it comes to retaining elite talent.

For the Cowboys, this is muscle memory. Even Bill Parcells, the archetypal hard-nosed coach who typically bristled at ownership meddling, made an exception for Jones. During his four-year run in Dallas, Parcells found himself in near-daily conversations with the owner, breaking down practice film, trading opinions on roster moves, and debating which players could be part of the future. For a coach who built his reputation on guarding his sideline from front-office interference, Parcells later admitted he genuinely enjoyed the back-and-forth.

Which is why Johnson’s voice here matters. His own history with Jones is a masterclass in what happens when principle and ego collide inside this franchise. They were the co-architects of a dynasty, and they were also each other’s undoing. For years, Johnson stood as the living example of how even shared success couldn’t bridge a divide over credit and control.

Their story started with a reunion in 1989. Jones was buying the Cowboys for $140 million, and Johnson was taking over a 1-15 team. One blockbuster Herschel Walker trade later, the roster was gutted, rebuilt, and charging toward history. Two Super Bowls in three years, a third seemingly inevitable. And then egos detonated the dynasty. Johnson was gone after the ’93 title. Barry Switzer won with Johnson’s roster in ’95, but the magic never returned. And now, it’s almost as if Johnson is extending an olive branch.

It’s as if he is telling the fans that despite playoff heartbreak after playoff heartbreak, the owner is not ready to change his ways. And that’s how it will stay.

Jerry Jones is not ready to change

Jones’ recent comments didn’t help. Calling out Parsons for missing “six games” last season, when it was actually four, felt less like a negotiation tactic and more like throwing gasoline on a fire. It wasn’t subtle. It was a public slap, and Parsons answered with a trade request, laying bare the disconnect between player and management.

Instead of coddling their best players, the Cowboys choose to test how far they can push them before deals actually get done. And spoiler alert. It’s a costly strategy. Look no further than the trilogy of Dallas’ biggest names, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Parsons himself.

Jerry’s approach has cost the Cowboys millions. For Prescott, it meant franchise tags and playing out years of uncertainty before signing the richest deal for a quarterback ever. For Lamb, waiting too long meant paying a premium when the market exploded. And now, with Parsons, it looks like the same old story: negotiations dragged out, goodwill eroded, and star players pushed to the brink.

So, as the 2025 season looms, the Cowboys find themselves stuck in a familiar drama, with Jerry Jones playing the villain role. Micah Parsons’ trade request might be the loudest sign yet that the team’s old-school approach is closing the door on their championship window. And if Jones can’t adapt, the Cowboys risk losing their best players, and with them, their title hopes.