Micah Parsons contract saga: Jerry Jones says Cowboys fans’ ‘Pay Micah’ chants were ‘faint little sound’

Jerry Jones heard the “Pay Micah!” chants from Dallas Cowboys fans during the team’s “Opening Day Ceremony” at training camp over the weekend, but he’s not concerned. Numerous supporters interrupted Jones’ public address ahead of the 2025 season in Oxnard, California to express their desire for Micah Parsons to be paid.

The four-time Pro Bowler is seeking $40 million-plus annually based on the current market from players of equal skill level and production.

“I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, ‘Pay Lamb (last year),'” Jones told ESPN, comparing the Parsons situation to CeeDee Lamb’s extension last offseason. “That was a faint little sound compared to the way they were hollering last year, ‘Pay Lamb.’ Whoever’s not in, you can count on a few hollering that. But it was a big loud chant last year on Lamb.”

Lamb agreed to a four-year extension worth $136 million this time last year after leading the NFL in catches during the 2023 campaign. Parsons acknowledged earlier this summer that he told Jones last year he was willing to wait on his own negotiations while the Cowboys were in talks with Lamb and Prescott ahead of the 2024 season.

With those deals in the rear view, Parsons has made it clear recently he wants a new contract with Dallas — or else. Parsons said last month he doesn’t understand why ownership was intentionally dragging its feet in the negotiation process.

That was before Jones brought up past injuries and the need for players to be healthy to warrant long-term consideration, a strange opinion considering Parsons only missed four games last season and has not been injury prone during his career.

“I want to be here. I’ve always stated I want to be here, but at the end of the day, they sign the checks like always,” Parsons previously said, via All City DLLS. “I think they got their own timeline on when they want to get things done. At any given time, they could get things done. I don’t think that (being at training camp) helps. I’m doing this for myself and my teammates.”   

Jones previously dismissed the importance of agent David Mulugheta during the spring amid extension talks and said he preferred speaking with Parsons in an owner-player setting.

“Contracts are four, five years, OK? There’s a lot of water under the bridge if you step out there and do something in the first two or three,” Jones said earlier this month. “You can get hit by a car, seriously. So there’s a lot to look at over a lot of years that could make a big difference. Have you ever heard of any clubs committing to players and then they didn’t pan out after they committed to them? We have.”