OXNARD, Calif. – Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones isn’t optimistic about star defender Micah Parsons’ availability for the season opener on September 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Parsons requested a trade five days ago, a request that Jones dismissed as part of the negotiations for a multi-year deal. Since then, Jones has not spoken to Parsons, despite being only 7 yards away before a training session, nor have there been any conversations between the team and Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta. When asked when the urgency of an agreement increases, Jones replied: “I am in urgency”. Parsons is under contract for this season under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, with a salary of $21.324 million. Over the weekend, Jones alluded to Dak Prescott and DeMarcus Lawrence playing in the final years of their contracts or under the franchise tag without issues. The Cowboys eventually reached extension agreements with both players. Parsons has participated in the daily walk-throughs, but he hasn’t participated in any drills. He spent part of Tuesday’s practice talking with former Rams tackle Andrew Whitworth, who has been a sort of mentor to him over the years. He hasn’t spoken to the media since he filed his exchange request. In March, Jones believed that he and Parsons had reached an agreement regarding the length of the contract, the guaranteed money, and the total money, saying that the offer was worth “much more than you think”, and referred to “guaranteeing someone almost 200 million dollars”. Parsons requested the Cowboys to contact Mulugheta and the situation has remained at a standstill since then. When asked if Parsons needs to contact him, Jones said: “They’re getting what’s on the mind or what’s being said. This is a good time. He is the topic. What is, is what is. We’ll figure it out, or we won’t figure it out.”No, absolutely not. A big part of that is his decision. How could he know?
Jerry Jones
