Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer expressed his confidence on Wednesday regarding the participation of star linebacker Micah Parsons in Week 1 of the upcoming NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, recent comments from Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones suggest that Parsons may take the field without a new contract.
During an appearance on former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin’s YouTube channel, Jones firmly stated his commitment to not renegotiating the terms he believes were already set back in March with Parsons. According to Jones, the proposed contract would have positioned Parsons as the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league regarding guaranteed money. “The world would know that I want Micah if they knew what I had offered him,” Jones stated. “And he knows what I offered him.”
Jones revealed that he and Parsons met in March without the presence of Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta. In light of this, Jones recounted that when they submitted the contract details, the agent responded dismissively. “The agent told us to stick it up our ass,” he remarked. Currently, Parsons is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, with a salary exceeding $24 million for the 2025 season.
For context, the highest-paid non-quarterback in terms of average annual salary is T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who recently signed a three-year, $123 million contract extension with $108 million guaranteed. This amount marks the most guaranteed money awarded to a non-quarterback in NFL history.
On August 1, Parsons submitted a trade request, stating, “I no longer want to be held to close-door negotiations without my agent present.” He elaborated on the context of the March meeting, noting that although he engaged in discussions about his contract, he did not view it as a formal negotiation. “Yes, I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation,” Parsons explained.
Jones reiterated on Thursday that Parsons remains under contract for this season and that the Cowboys have the option to franchise tag him for the following two seasons. The franchise tag for a defensive end this year is approximately $22 million, with projections for the next season exceeding $26.5 million. “We really got three years to work this thing out,” Jones commented, drawing parallels to how they handled the contract negotiations with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott, now the NFL’s highest-paid player at $60 million per season.
Jones noted, “It’s exactly what happened with Dak, so we moved forward and ultimately we got a contract, made Dak the highest-paid player in the NFL. So the precedent is handling it like Dak. But in this particular case, then Micah comes in and plays this year under his contract.” He warned that if Parsons doesn’t play, it would be “very costly for everybody.”
Following Jones’ comments, Parsons removed all references to the Cowboys from his social media accounts. He also shared a video on TikTok in which he waved goodbye, accompanied by a quote from former NBA star Allen Iverson, stating, “Imma win wherever I go. Wherever I go, imma win. I don’t care where I go.”
As the Cowboys prepare for their season opener against the Eagles on September 4, Parsons has been attending training camp practices, participating in walk-throughs and meetings, but has not yet engaged in full practice. The likelihood of reaching a contract agreement seems slim unless Jones and Mulugheta initiate discussions, which, based on Jones’ remarks, does not appear to be in the immediate future.
“Micah and I talked (in March) and then we were going to send it over to the agent,” Jones explained. “We had our agreements on terms, amount, guarantees, everything. We were going to send it over to the agent, and the agent said don’t bother because we have all that to negotiate. Well, I had already negotiated.” Jones believes that the primary terms of the contract have been settled, leaving only the details to be finalized by Parsons' agent.
As the situation unfolds, the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons remain at a crossroads, with both parties holding firm on their positions. The upcoming weeks will be critical in determining whether a resolution can be reached before the start of the regular season.
