Jerry Jones throws a jab at Mika Parsons during an ongoing contract talk
Jones Jones says that even if Mika Parsons signs the extension, it doesn’t mean he’ll play.
Seriously sports
Oxnard, CA – Jerry Jones is clearly in no hurry.
Why did it take so long to do business with Mika Parsons?
“It took a long time with Emmitt Smith,” the owner of the Dallas Cowboys replied, turning the clock back to the epic holdout of the running back in 1993.
And then there’s what else will happen. All defensive side Parsons shook the NFL universe on Friday when he took them to social media to publicly demand trade.
But two days before the Parsons bomb, Jones appears to have already drawn a line in the sand in an interview with USA Today Sports, which may have shown where these negotiations with the defensive centerpiece are heading.
He said Dak Prescott, who became the NFL’s first $60 million annual man last year, showed off his rookie contract and franchise tag twice before landing the four-year, $240 million Megadale. He then referenced two franchise tags the team used before signing a five-year, $105 million contract in 2019.
“In both cases, they closed the deal,” Jones said. “For me, you are going through the process of wanting to see if players can get an extension.
It should also be noted that Star receiver Lam did not sign a contract or acquire a franchise tag before landing a four-year, $136 million extension, which averaged $34 million.
However, Lamb also forced the issue by holding a training camp last year.
Parsons appears to have given up on leverage by reporting to camp and proceeding as a so-called “hold-in” during practice. The Cowboys exercised their fifth year option on Parsons’ rookie contract. This guarantees a $24.007 million salary in 2025 and a major clash of $42.69 million over the first four years of his contract.
The frustration is erupting as the Cowboys have not yet negotiated with Person’s agent David Murgetta. Parsons is reportedly looking for a deal that will allow the market to be reset again for the defensive star after the Pittsburgh Steelers use a TJ Watt package for an average of $41 million a year.
But playing the franchise tag, the option Parsons to “play” his contract as Jones suggested, allowed the Cowboy to prevent him from becoming an unlimited free agent until the 2028 Gulp.
And let’s call it the NFL’s highest rated melodrama, “Make the Cowboys’ world a different world.”
“This business is business, right?” Prescott said in an interview with USA Today Sports. “We always say this game is business, but it’s the first business.”
Prescott and other players have been fiercely supporting Parsons in his efforts to make new deals, but it’s not a good thing that the winning business will be distracted at training camp. No, the Cowboys aren’t just NFL teams with long-lasting contractual issues with key players. But while some teams manage this kind of business with far less drama, the Cowboys always seem to make the drama wind.
Speaking to reporters at camp on Saturday regarding Parsons’ trade requests, Jones received a message to Cowboys fans saying, “Don’t lose sleep.”
In other words, Jones appears to be happy to call Parsons’ bluff. And I’m very pleased to keep the drama playing.
“This is nothing new, along with Mika,” Jones said at one point in the 1-hour, 10-minute interview during lunchtime at the training camp office.
I asked him about his negative reaction from his huge fanbase. That’s far beyond camp fans who chanted “Pay Micah!” The expansion negotiations over the past two years involving Prescott, Lamb and Martin added to the perception that the cowboys lack urgency in signing the expansion to key players.
Does the perception that the Cowboys are limping around Jones?
“Let this be just right,” replied Jones. “If I don’t do that, I’m not at work. I’m sure I’m trying to get the most value for the cowboy. I’ve seen them hoping to renegotiate their contracts before, and I’ve had some of the things they’ve renegotiated.
As he contemplated this, Jones grabbed the legal pads and began doodling with circles, arrows and straight lines.
“It’s pretty much like an optional quarterback,” he said. “He can go out. He can go down the line or he can come out and hold it. Or he can keep it. Three different things.
“So I’ve never forgotten everything that can happen to you if you’re too fast.
Talking about Parsons, the second player in NFL history (first of all, the legendary Reggie White), he carved at least 12 bags in his first four seasons.
Jones also has the feeling that no one understands the NFL money issues, like he does. He is the most powerful owner of the NFL and a key player in promoting league media rights trading and labor agreements, and believes he can put it “in the weeds” and “look the corner” by increasing his revenue along with the league’s revenue. Jones’ marketing has led the Cowboys to be the most valuable franchise in the NFL for a long time, and last year became the first $10 billion sports franchise in the annual Forbes rankings.
“No one could feel about whether he would go early or wait,” Jones said.
Of course, skeptics and championship-hungered Cowboys fans will fight their finances with football revenue. The Cowboys have had a drought of 29 years since their last appearance in the Super Bowl due to their all-time sustained popularity.
Jones, the team’s GM, addressed the question before being asked. He does not give up on that part of the equation, repeating his typical attitude.
“I’m not revisiting a mentality that is thinking about how to approach negotiations,” he said. “Not at all. Money stops here.”
As always, money is surrounded by so many plots.
Jones mentioned Smith’s pre-generational holdout. Smith missed the first two games in 1993, and the defending Super Bowl champions started 0-2 without the MVP.
Smith’s contract meeting suddenly heated up after Charles Haley planted a helmet on the wall of a locker room near Jones following his second week defeat to the Buffalo Bills. And it ended well. Smith won his new contract, which repeated the Super Bowl crown to the Cowboys.
Ah, drama. Still, that was the case. And this is now.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow us on social media: X:@jarrettbell. Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social
