Jerry Jones expects Micah Parsons to play in opener while he's under contract

New York Times

2 days ago

OXNARD, Calif. — Micah Parsons has been with the Dallas Cowboys throughout their 25 days of training camp in California. He has talked to reporters once, after the first practice.
Other than posting a trade request on social media, Parsons has remained quiet.
That included Wednesday as the Cowboys held their second from last practice in California. Parsons was approached by reporters as he was leaving the field.
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'My mouth's closed,' was all that he said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did stop to chat with reporters a few minutes later. There's nothing new to report regarding any contract talks with Parsons or his agent, David Mulugheta. Will talks pick up when the team returns to Dallas?
'I don't know that necessarily talks will,' Jones said, 'but we got a game coming and he's under contract.'
The Cowboys open the season in 22 days with a Thursday night game in Philadelphia. Because Parsons is in the fifth year of his rookie contract, Jones expects the star pass rusher to be on the field.
'You don't have deadlines when you're playing under a contract,' Jones said.
Jerry Jones on if contract talks will pick up with Micah Parsons when the Cowboys get back to Texas pic.twitter.com/CsAy3YMpkF
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 13, 2025
Parsons has attended almost all of the training camp practices, missing two of the 15 while getting treatment on his back. When he has been in attendance, he has stood off to the side for most. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer has said that Parsons has been 'really good' in the team meetings and 'very engaged' during their work away from the field.
When asked what's preventing Jones from having contract talks with Parsons and his agent, the owner and general manager responded, 'nothing.'
So why aren't they talking?
'We might or might not talk,' he said. 'The rest of that gets into what we do every day.'
Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons pic.twitter.com/Y5fYFcr0aN
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 13, 2025
Four outstanding seasons have put Parsons in the conversation to become the NFL's highest-paid non-quarterback. Jones recognizes Parsons' rare talent and importance to the team. That's why he made a contract extension offer back in March that Jones says both sides agreed to and shook on. But Parsons wanted Jones to speak with Mulugheta to get it finalized. That has not happened, so ink has never hit paper.
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With every day that passes, it seems more and more possible that Parsons could be playing out the final year of his rookie deal. The Cowboys could then try to re-sign him in the offseason or use the franchise tag.
'All you got to go on are contracts,' Jones said. 'We are negotiating for a contract. When you do a contract, you would hope that after a negotiation that that's what both the team and player look to to see what our obligations are. I have a lot of respect for a contract.'
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