Jerry Jones is no stranger to holding out contract extensions during training camp, but his comments are causing a stir in Oxnard.
OXNARD, Calif. — Amid trade request chatter, Micah Parsons is the talk of Cowboys training camp, and Jerry Jones is having to answer the question: Why hasn’t a deal been made?
During Tuesday’s training camp, Jones spoke to reporters, who swarmed him with questions about how far along a Parsons deal is.
Parsons has been present at training camp from the beginning but has sat out due to a back injury. The linebacker came to Oxnard seeking a contract extension to his five-year rookie deal from the team that drafted him in 2021. After seemingly no progress being made in getting a deal done by Jones, and comments made by the owner about Parsons, the linebacker has requested a trade from Dallas.’
Jones has continued to dismiss Parsons’ tactics, and reporters heard much of the same on Tuesday. When asked why he dismissed trade demands, the Cowboys’ owner said it comes with the trade.
“Listen, that’s part of what we do,” Jones said. “We have continual contract negotiations going on. I know you have Micah at front of mind, but we’re continually working on contracts. And all clubs are… It’s really business as usual.”
Despite Jones noting the ongoing contract negotiations, nobody from the Cowboys front office has reached out to Parsons’ agent, per WFAA’s Cowboys Insider Ed Werder.
The Cowboys are around a month away from their first game of the regular season against division rival and reigning Super Bowl champs, the Philadelphia Eagles. That puts a fast-dwindling timeline on when Dallas wants to get a deal done, but when Jones was asked about the importance of urgency with a Parsons deal:
“I stay urgent,” Jones said.
Reporters also asked Jones if he is confident Parsons will suit up for the Sept. 4 season opener.
“No, absolutely not,” Jones said. “A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that?”
As uncertainty swirls in Oxnard over whether Parsons will wear the silver and blue next season, Jones put an end to all Micah-related questions with this:
“We’ll work through it, or we will not work through it.”