Yet another abrasive turn in the dramatic contractual standoff between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and pass rusher Micah Parsons came Friday in response to the All-Pro defender penning a farewell to the franchise.
“Any talk of trading is BS,” Jones said, clarifying the Cowboys would not trade Parsons in an interview on the “Stephen A. Smith Show.”
Late Thursday night, Parsons scrubbed the Cowboys from his social media bios and posted what could be considered a farewell video to the organization.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said this week he expected Parsons to be on the field when the Cowboys open at Philadelphia against the Eagles in less than two weeks. But Parsons might be ready to dig in his heels on negotiations as the owner fans the flames in what has become a highly public feud.
Parsons is in the final year of his contract, which is the fifth-year option teams hold for first-round picks, and the Cowboys could use the franchise tag to retain him in 2026 and 2027. From Jones’ perspective, he considers Parsons essentially under contract for not only 2025, but the next three seasons.
“I can’t imagine anybody sitting out for three years, at all,” Jones said in the interview Friday.
Parsons’ profiles in his Twitter and Instagram pages both tout his Penn State background with a “TBD” now in place of the Cowboys as his employer. And on TikTok, he posted a video that contained a photo gallery of Parsons, in his Cowboys uniform, that contained game photos that could have been taken as the All-Pro both waving goodbye and blowing kisses.
In the background played the audio of words once spoken by retired NBA great Allen Iverson as he discussed trade rumors:
“Imma win wherever I go,” Iverson is heard saying. “Wherever I go, imma win. I don’t care where I go. I don’t give a damn what team I go to, imma win. Imma win regardless, it don’t matter.”
The video clearly is a response to what Jones, the longtime owner and general manager of the Cowboys, said Thursday about the contract stalemate between the sides.
Jones chatted with Michael Irvin on the YouTube channel of the Cowboys legend and detailed what he said was the contract offer to Parsons, which would have made the defensive star the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
“Nobody appreciates Micah Parsons more than the Cowboys or me,” Jones said. “Nobody has ever offered him more money than I have to play football. Period.”
Parsons and Jones met earlier this year to discuss contract parameters, among other things. Jones has said the two had a deal in place. Parsons has said it was the framework for discussions between Jones and Parsons’ agent. David Mulugheta.
“When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our a–,” Jones said. “Just so you’re clear.”
It was not clear when the Cowboys contacted Mulugheta — whether soon after the meeting or since Parsons publicly requested a trade Aug. 1 as his relationship with the front office continued to diminish.
Parsons, 26, attended training camp but did not participate, and the video has only stirred speculation that he will sit out the season and sacrifice his huge pay raise for 2025.
The Cowboys selected Parsons with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2021 draft, and he signed a four-year, $17.1 million contract. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year, $24.007 million option for this season.
–Field Level Media
