Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and hold-in All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons made no formal progress in their contract staredown on Wednesday, and only one of the principal parties was willing to talk.

Parsons said leaving the field after watching the team workout, “my mouth is closed.”

Jones resisted feigning optimism about a breakthrough in talks when the team breaks training camp and heads back to Dallas from Oxnard, Calif.

“I don’t know that necessarily talks will,” Jones said. “But we’ve got a game coming, and he’s under contract.”

Jones said there is “nothing” standing in the way of the team negotiating with Parsons, who said he formally and directly requested a trade out of Dallas to executive vice president Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones’ son, earlier this month.

“I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys,” he wrote in a social media post on Aug. 1. “My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.”

Jerry Jones said Wednesday there is no deadline for the two sides to come to terms on a deal when asked if he could see negotiations ceasing before the regular-season opener at Philadelphia on Sept. 7.

“You don’t have a deadline when you’re playing under contract,” he said.

Parsons, 26, was present on Wednesday but never took the field as the Cowboys went through their final padded practice of camp.

The two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection is in the final year of his rookie contract and scheduled to be paid $24.007 million this season.

–Field Level Media

Although it has been 30 years since the Dallas Cowboys’ last Super Bowl title, they are repeat champions when it comes to the chase for the most valuable franchise in the NFL.

Since Sportico started listing franchise values in 2020, the Cowboys have topped the list all six times, with a current valuation of $12.8 billion. Owner Jerry Jones’ team was worth $10.32 billion in 2024.

The Los Angeles Rams are the second most valuable franchise at $10.43 billion, while the New York Giants are third at $10.25 billion. Both of those franchises have risen 34 percent over the last year, while the Cowboys went up in value 24 percent.

The New England Patriots ($8.76 billion) and San Francisco 49ers ($8.6 billion) round out the top five that is unchanged from last year.

The Philadelphia Eagles ($8.43 billion), Miami Dolphins ($8.25 billion), New York Jets ($8.11 billion), Las Vegas Raiders ($7.9 billion) and Washington Commanders ($7.47 billion) round out the top 10.

The teams at the bottom of the list are the No. 30 New Orleans Saints ($5.63 billion), No. 31 Jacksonville Jaguars ($5.57 billion) and No. 32 Cincinnati Bengals ($5.5 billion).

The Kansas City Chiefs, who have won the Super Bowl in three of the past six seasons, are ranked No. 16 at $6.53 billion.

Sportico’s NFL franchise valuations for 2025:

1. Cowboys $12.8 billion
2. Rams $10.43 billion
3. Giants $10.25 billion
4. Patriots $8.76 billion
5. 49ers $8.6 billion
6. Eagles $8.43 billion
7. Dolphins $8.25 billion
8. Jets $8.11 billion
9. Raiders $7.9 billion
10. Commanders $7.47 billion
11. Bears $7.45 billion
12. Texans $7.17 billion
13. Falcons $7.05 billion
14. Seahawks $6.59 billion
15. Broncos $6.55 billion
16. Chiefs $6.53 billion
17. Steelers $6.51 billion
18. Packers $6.48 billion
19. Buccaneers $6.47 billion
20. Vikings $6.28 billion
21. Chargers $6.21 billion
22. Titans $6.2 billion
23. Browns $6.14 billion
24. Ravens $6.0 billion
25. Lions $5.88 billion
26. Bills $5.87 billion
27. Panthers $5.76 billion
28. Colts $5.72 billion
29. Cardinals $5.66 billion
30. Saints $5.63 billion
31. Jaguars $5.57 billion
32. Bengals $5.5 billion

–Field Level Media

Minnesota Vikings star wide receiver Justin Jefferson will sit out this weekend’s preseason game against the New England Patriots and be re-evaluated next week, head coach Kevin O’Connell said Wednesday.

The four-time All-Pro has been sidelined since taking himself out of practice on July 24 with a strained left hamstring.

“Just an update on Justin, you’ve seen him starting to take part in walk-throughs. He’s definitely progressing and doing a great job there,” O’Connell told the media on Wednesday ahead of the team’s joint practice with the Patriots.

“We hope to reassess early next week and see if we can start building on that workload.”

Jefferson, 26, missed seven games in 2023 with a torn right hamstring.

The 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, Jefferson has recorded more receiving yards (7,432) than any other player through five NFL seasons. He already ranks fourth in franchise history in receiving yards and first in receiving yards per game (96.5), which also ranks first in NFL history.

–Field Level Media

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. found himself in the middle of a skirmish during a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday in Flowery Branch, Ga.

Penix and several Titans defenders exchanged words after the former completed a long pass to wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Tensions escalated to the point that Penix was knocked to the ground, prompting players from both teams to come off the sideline.

“I gave them my words, and probably went a little too far,” said Penix, 25, who was not injured in the scrum. “I was somebody else. I don’t even remember.”

Falcons quarterbacks coach DJ Williams was pleased that Penix’s teammates had his back.

“Obviously, you don’t want that, but I take some positive out of it,” Williams said. “Like you saw the guys take up for him and I think that speaks to his leadership and who he is in that locker room. Obviously as coaches we’re upstairs, they’re downstairs. We don’t really see a lot, but obviously he has a relationship and the trust of the guys because everybody ran to his defense. So, I think that’s a good thing for the Falcons.”

Penix, the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, played in five games in his rookie season. He completed 61 of 105 passes (58.1 percent) for 775 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland plans to start another rookie quarterback when the Browns visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday afternoon.

If third-round pick Dillon Gabriel’s hamstring holds up through joint practices with the Eagles this week, he’ll take his turn as Cleveland’s QB1 following a strong debut from fifth-round quarterback Shedeur Sanders last week.

“The plan was always to give both of those guys starts in the preseason, so we’ll see how it shakes out,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday, adding Gabriel had to clear hurdles with a sore hamstring the next two days if he wants to take the field first this weekend.

Stefanski made the comments before the team practiced on Wednesday, and prior to what could be an obstacle to Sanders building on his first outing and claiming a significant role.

Sanders halted participation in throwing drills and appeared to be injured in Wednesday’s joint practice with the Eagles, further complicating matters for Stefanski. The coach confirmed after practice to ESPN that Sanders’ injury was related to discomfort in his oblique.

Kenny Pickett, acquired from the Eagles in an offseason trade, is not available for 11-on-11 work because of a hamstring injury.

There’s only one quarterback on the roster who hasn’t been sent to the training tent this summer.

Cleveland hasn’t committed to playing Joe Flacco, the purported No. 1 QB on the depth chart, in preseason games to preserve the 40-year-old’s health.

Gabriel was selected 94th overall in the 2025 draft after putting up big numbers at three college stops: UCF, Oklahoma and Oregon. Still on the board 50 picks later, the Browns chose Sanders to end a well-publicized draft weekend crash from projections of a top-50 draft rating.

Gabriel said he won’t put too much in the opportunity if he starts against the reigning Super Bowl champions.

“I try to just stay in the moment. I’ll look forward to that moment once it comes and be right where my feet are,” Gabriel said. “The best competitors know how to stay present and be themselves by competing at a high level one play at a time.”

Sanders received high marks from Stefanski after the Browns’ coaching staff reviewed the film of his two-TD showing in last Friday’s win over the Carolina Panthers.

“Certainly, for a quarterback, that next step is getting in the game settings and taking the practice field to the game. And I thought that’s what we saw by and large from Shedeur (Sanders),” Stefanski said. “That’s what we saw by and large from our offense was really taking those things that we’re homing in on, on the practice field and then showing them in the games, and it goes back to the previous point where we want to vary our offense.”

–Field Level Media

Without naming names, Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey instead pointed fingers while discussing the reasons he asked the Miami Dolphins for a trade in the offseason.

Ramsey was dealt to Pittsburgh in a swap that sent Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami and told The Pivot podcast he was appreciative of the front office for “working with me” and agent David Mulugheta.

Still, the 30-year-old made clear he wanted to be traded for the third time since the Jaguars selected him No. 5 overall in 2016.

Without saying the name of Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, Ramsey implied coaching and culture were key factors.

“Let’s go to a team that’s going to be able to compete, where there’s a lot of respect for the head coach and the staff and a place I can continue to play at a high level … and maybe be versatile,” Ramsey said in the interview.

“We all had to come to a consensus on what it would be. The Steelers wanted me here, and I wanted to be here.”

Ramsey, acquired by the Dolphins from the Los Angeles Rams in March of 2023, said he was thankful Miami didn’t take the approach of presenting him with a deal he didn’t want by saying, “this team called and we are going to send you there. It was very open communication. You all have been good to us. I’ve been good to y’all.”

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has heaped praise on Ramsey for his effort and versatility, and former Pittsburgh defensive back Ryan Clark gushed about the pairing with visions of a defensive scheme capable of using Ramsey at four or five different positions in a game.

Ramsey said he finds himself wondering what his NFL life might have been like had the Steelers drafted him.

“My focus may have been a little bit different at times. I may have been here my whole career,” Ramsey told The Pivot. “This is like a place where I feel like, one, they take care of their own. I truly believe that they take care of their own. Two, guys really want to be here.”

–Field Level Media

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones revealed that he fought stage 4 melanoma for a decade, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed he fought his own battle with thyroid cancer at age 28.

During his Wednesday press conference, Schottenheimer was overcome with emotion and thanked Jones for sharing his own personal battle as a ray of hope and to shed light on what others might be going through.

“I’m glad that Jerry shared it,” Schottenheimer said. “Just because I think it gives people hope. It gives people the strength to say ‘Hey, you can beat this, you can do that.’ When you have that type of diagnosis, to have that hope and that ability to think, ‘Hey, I can fight through this and maybe I can catch a break and get lucky,’ I think that’s great.”

Schottenheimer received a thyroid cancer diagnosis in 2002. He was in his first year on the coaching staff of the Chargers under his father, Marty, working as the team’s quarterbacks coach.

Ironically, it was the man who fired Marty Schottenheimer in Washington — then-franchise owner Daniel Snyder — who wound up pointing the family in the right direction for treatment.

“You hear that word ‘cancer’ and it scares the hell out of you,” said Schottenheimer, who is now cancer-free. “… It was a very traumatic thing for me.”

“I broke down, of course. I lost it,” Schottenheimer said of finding his father in a defensive player meeting to share the news.

“He said ‘Hey, we’ll figure this out and we’ll get you the best help we can get.’ And he picked up the phone and called Dan Snyder, a guy that two years before had fired him.”

“He told me when Dan picked up the phone and my dad said to him, ‘Dan, I have a problem; Brian has cancer.’ Dan said, ‘Marty, give me 5 minutes, and I’ll call you back,’ and I think it was within 24 to 36 hours that I was on the operating table (at the Mayo Clinic) in Rochester, Minnesota. Again, it just shows you when you’re dealing with things like that, everything competitively stops.”

Jones was contacted by the Dallas Morning News following a comment he made during the Netflix documentary, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.”

In the documentary, Jones referenced undergoing cancer treatments “about a dozen years ago,” per the Dallas Morning News.

Jones said he underwent treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in 2010.

Jones, now 82, said he had four surgeries over the ensuing decade — two involving his lungs, two involving his lymph nodes. He credits the experimental trial drug PD-1 (Programmed Cell Death Protein 1) for saving his life.

“I was saved by a fabulous treatment and great doctors and a real miracle (drug) called PD-1 (therapy),” Jones said. “I went into trials for that PD-1 and it has been one of the great medicines. I have no tumors.”

Stage 4 melanoma means “cancer has spread beyond the skin to other organs, such as the lungs or liver,” per the Mayo Clinic.

According to the Dallas Morning News, the drug helps the immune system “fight cancer cells by blocking PD-1, thus enabling T cells to better recognize and destroy cancer cells.”

–Field Level Media

An emotional James Cook put pen to paper Wednesday, signing a contract extension through the 2029 season just one day after the two-time Pro Bowl running back rejoined his Buffalo Bills teammates in the backfield.

Cook, 25, was entering the final year of his rookie contract and will receive $30 million guaranteed and average of $12 million per season on the four-year extension, according to multiple reports.

He teared up as he signed his contract, as shown on a video the Bills shared to their X account.

"I wanna put my shades on." – @thegreat__4 ??#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/KXTUPPxgvC

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 13, 2025

Bills general manager Brandon Beane trumpeted the news on Wednesday morning before the team hit the practice field, pointing to anticipated longevity in tandem with quarterback Josh Allen as the foundation stones of the Bills’ offense.

“We’re excited with where he’s at, and he’s still a young talent,” Beane said Wednesday. “And as we’ve said in here, don’t think he’s been overtaxed, or a guy that his the tread on his tires is getting worn by any means.”

Buffalo signed Allen to a contract extension through the 2030 season and locked up top receiver Khalil Shakir, 25, with a four-year, $53 million deal in the offseason.

“We want to draft and develop and re-sign,” Beane said. “You guys know all the money we’ve doled out this offseason. This is another draft pick that we’re proud of and excited to extend.

“Fortunately, late last night, we got it across the finish line.”

The deal puts Cook tied for sixth among running backs in the NFL based on new money per season.

The news comes one day after Cook opted to participate in practice for the first time since he informed the team of plans to sit out as part of a “business” decision tied to his expiring contract. Head coach Sean McDermott said before Tuesday’s practice “things have changed,” and getting the running back on the field was critical, Beane said.

“I think we had an understanding that we need to practice if we’re gonna be able to get back to the table,” Beane said. “I think there was good faith on both parts, from him and his agent to our side. Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard yesterday. … I think it was roughly 11 o’clock or so last night where we were able to say both sides were good with this and we’ll get it signed in the morning.”

Cook’s agent, Zac Hiller, said the outcome is what the running back wanted all along.

“James could only envision himself as a Buffalo Bill,” Hiller said, per ESPN. “We are extremely thankful to the entire Bills organization and glad we could make that happen.”

Cook had 16 rushing touchdowns and scored in 12 of the Bills’ 17 regular-season games in 2024.

He has rushed for 2,638 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 97 passes for 883 yards and seven scores in 49 games since being drafted in the second round in 2022.

Cook dressed but did not play in the preseason opener last week, a 34-25 loss to the New York Giants. In his absence, the Bills turned to Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. Frank Gore Jr. put up 50 receiving yards on a team-best five receptions and had 21 rushing yards.

–Field Level Media