Cowboys’ Jerry Jones hasn’t spoken with Micah Parsons since trade request, not confident he’ll play Week 1

OXNARD, California — The Dallas Cowboys finally got to take the field against another team, the Los Angeles Rams, on Tuesday. However, they were still without their best defensive player, All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. 

That’s because Parsons and team owner/general manager Jerry Jones are in a negotiating stalemate. Jones attempted to downplay Parsons’ on-field absence after practice Tuesday and said he feels the two sides are built to overcome their issues even after Parsons requested a trade on Friday. 

Parsons has been with the team since he went public with his trade request but has not been participating in practice.

“I did notice him [Parsons], but there’s 200 players out here and a lot of good ones,” Jones said. … “All of that [Parsons being at practice and wearing his practice jersey], and I think the world of Micah. … He’s one of the brightest people I’ve ever been around. He’s very, very talented. Now how we ultimately mail him in with our future is a challenge, and I’m built for it and he’s built for it.”

Jones hasn’t personally spoken with Parsons since the news of the trade request broke. Parsons kicked off the contract talks this year with a meeting he arranged with Jones on Jan. 10 at the College Football Playoff semifinal at AT&T Stadium. It’s Jones’ turn to reach out, but that’s something he has yet to do. 

“I have not, no,” Jones said. 

While he hasn’t directly connected with Parsons, Jones contacting Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta for the first time in this process would go a long way. Jones has not done that either. 

“No, no,” Jones said when asked if he reached out to Mulugheta. “Again with Micah, that’s part of what we do. We have continual contract negotiations going on [with other players as well]. I know you have Micah at front of mind, but we’re continually working on contracts. All clubs are. I don’t necessarily put a big red letter beside any time that we’ve completed contract negotiations, but I’m appreciative when we do. It’s really business as usual.”

A major point of contention between Parsons and Jones is the conversation both have admitted they had back in March. In Parsons’ words, which he spelled out in his public trade request announcement, he thought he was coming to Jones to talk about leadership. Then, the conversation shifted from leadership to Jones asking Parsons’ about contract terms. Parsons believed that chat to be informal negotiations that would become formal upon the inclusion of Mulugheta. 

Jones viewed that talk as official, and the informal way in which he purchased the Cowboys back in 1989 still influences the way he approaches deals to this day.

“I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake. It took about 30 seconds. Gave the number, shook hands. The details we worked out later,” Jones said. “One of the details involved a lot of money. … The fundamental, ‘I’m buying and you’re going to sell it to me for that range, that’s done.’ Those are done with eye contact and [a] handshake. … Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that I negotiate with, so let’s leave it at that.”

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Jones does understand that there is a difference with a player like Parsons and his contract negotiations, but the overarching approach appears to remain the sticking point in these talks. That and the Cowboys front office failing to connect with Mulugheta. Jones believes there aren’t “sticking points,” but a change in his approach and actually putting something in writing in front of Parsons’ agent could be a key factor in getting this negotiation closer to the proverbial end zone. 

“In the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing, all parties do,” Jones said. “We have a contract in writing yet we’re still talking about renegotiating it. So much for that. … There are no [sticking] points. There’s points of varying degrees of influencing not having something done, but nothing I would say is out of the ordinary.”

Will Parsons’ situation be resolved for Week 1?

Thirty days remain between Tuesday and the NFL’s season opener on Sept. 4 featuring the Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles, the reigning Super Bowl champions. So when does the urgency kick in to get Parsons on the field? According to Jones, it’s been there. His urgency will be truly apparent when he decides to pick up the phone and talk to both Parsons and Mulugheta. 

“I stay urgent,” Jones said. 

So what is the confidence level Parsons will be on the field against in the Eagles in Week 1? Jones declined to provide his internal barometer on the matter.  

“No, absolutely not. A big part of that is his decision,” Jones said. “How would I know that? I’m just saying. No, but I’m urgent.”  

So does that mean Parsons needs to reach out to Jones himself? Parsons did personally submit his trade request to Jerry’s son Stephen, the team’s executive vice president, on Friday. He also initiated contract talks back in January.

Will Jones return the favor? That’s the biggest sticking point of all.  

“It’s what it is, is what it is,” Jones said. “We’ll work through it, or we will not work through it.”