Dak Prescott on Micah Parsons Dispute: ‘This Is Frustrating for Everybody'

Fox News

3 days ago

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott had two words to sum up the escalating dispute between the organization and All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons: "F---, man."
"He knows what that means," Prescott said about reaching out to Parsons, per Yahoo Sports. "It wasn't 'F--- you, Micah,' or 'F--- them.' It's more of a 'F---, this is frustrating for everybody involved.'"
Prescott has experienced his own share of drawn-out negotiations in recent years, having gone back and forth with Jones through two extended disputes. Prescott inked a four-year, $160 million deal in 2021 and then a four-year, $240 million extension on the eve of the Cowboys' Week 1 season opener last fall after an awkward offseason in which Jones was wishy-washy about paying Prescott.
"Not many people, especially here, have been in that position," Prescott said, per CBS Sports. "So I know what that means just to support him."
While Prescott reached out to Parsons, team owner Jerry Jones has still yet to do so. Jones shared he has not spoken to Parsons nor started contract negotiations with his agent, David Mulugheta, since he demanded a trade on Aug. 1.
Jones also went on to say that he's uncertain if Parsons will play in the Cowboys' season opener against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4, which also serves as the opener to the 2025 NFL regular season.
Parsons continued his hold-in this week, watching the joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 5 from the sidelines in his white No. 11 jersey and sweats.
[MORE: Micah Parsons Next Team Odds: Will Cowboys Trade Star DE?]
Parsons and the Cowboys began contract discussions in January. Jones mentioned at the NFL's annual league meeting in April that he was communicating directly with Parsons about a potential new deal, alluding to a conversation the two had in March that Jones seemingly interpreted as a formal negotiation. According to Parsons, when his agent reached out after that meeting, "the team decided to go silent."
Furthermore, Parsons let it be known that he wouldn't be doing any deal without his agent involved.
In June, Parsons said that he was "hopeful" he'd have a new deal done before the start of training camp on July 20. One day before the start of camp, Jones seemingly took a dig at Parsons' durability by mentioning he missed a handful of games due to injury last season when asked by reporters for an update on the negotiations. While Parsons didn't respond directly, he reshared a social media post from former NFL star J.J. Watt about how someone "can publicly take a dig at … your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins."
Parsons reported to the start of training camp but only observed from the sidelines and did not participate. Shortly after, he made a formal trade request, calling out the Jones family for how they'd handled contract negotiations and revealing that they haven't "had a single conversation" with his agent in a 1,000-plus-word statement posted online.
Jones added more fuel to the fire two days later, saying that a situation from a decade ago involving former Cowboys star Dez Bryant — who publicly voiced his support for Parsons on social media — and Roc Nation Sports owner Jay-Z is the reason why he doesn't like to deal with agents.
A first-round draft pick in 2021, Parsons has at least 12.0 sacks in each of his four seasons in Dallas and has 52.5 for his career. He also had 12 tackles for loss in 13 games last season. Parsons is going into the fifth and final year of his rookie deal and could be franchise tagged in 2026 without an extension. He's set to make $24.007 million in 2025.
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