Micah Parsons' Fiery Trade Request From Cowboys Is Jerry Jones' Biggest Challenge Yet

Jerry Jones understands a simple truth about contract negotiations: His players will be happy when they get paid. Everything that happens before then is noise and nonsense. They’re rarely the distractions they are often made out to be.

But that theory is about to be put to the test like it never has in Jones’ 36 years owning the Dallas Cowboys. His contract stalemate with Micah Parsons just turned ugly on Friday when the defensive star requested a trade and scorched the Earth behind him.

And there’s a good chance that the noise is only going to get worse, and that Parsons’ relationship with Jones and the Cowboys franchise might never be the same.

That’s because, after the Joneses decided to go low in their comments about the contract situation last week, Parsons decided to go lower in a lengthy social media post on Friday afternoon. He made it clear, “I no longer want to be here … I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.” And then he dragged the Joneses through the mud for the way they’ve handled the situation so far.

“I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present,” he wrote. “I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.”

Parsons said he “purposely stayed quiet” throughout the offseason, but he apparently reached his limit after two biting comments. One came from Jerry Jones at the start of camp, when the owner seemingly took a shot at Parsons for missing four games last season, saying, “Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him.” That was followed by a comment from Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones, who said, “He’s got to want to be paid, too,” in response to fans chanting for the team to “Pay Micah.”

It’s a bold and interesting strategy to pick on one of your biggest stars like that, but maybe not a bright one considering Parsons has his own weekly podcast, is active on social media and has never, ever shied away from expressing his own opinions. If the Joneses thought the 26-year-old Parsons would be as relatively quiet as receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott were during their contract stalemates last summer, it was always destined to be a terrible miscalculation.

And Parsons laid it all bare. He said he’s been trying to get the team to talk contract for more than a year, even though he knew his price was only going up, but was met with “radio silence.” He said he met with Jerry Jones in March about “leadership,” but “somehow” ended up talking contract. 

“At no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation,” Parsons wrote on Friday, though apparently Jones did even though Parsons’ agent wasn’t present. When the agent reached out to continue the talks, Parsons wrote that “he was told the deal was pretty much already done.” And when the agent balked, Parsons wrote, “the team decided to go silent.” Again.

Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb went through excruciating contract talks with the Cowboys last offseason before agreeing to new deals. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Now, that’s not completely unusual. Contract negotiations are often filled with more silence than the general public thinks. And they can often get heated behind the scenes. Most deals don’t get completed until deadlines approach anyway. And with Parsons under contract for $24 million for the 2025 season, and with the Cowboys knowing they can use the franchise tag on him in 2026, they’re not exactly nearing any deadline at all.

What’s weird — really weird — is the airing of the dirty laundry from the player, and the implicit promise that he’s not going to hold back from sharing more as time goes on. Parsons is mad. He wants out (unless he doesn’t get his money, of course). And if he has to write a tell-all book through his social media accounts, he’s apparently willing to do it.

Yes, it still seems very unlikely that Parsons would hold out into the regular season and risk losing that $24 million. And no, according to a team source, the Cowboys have absolutely no intention of granting his wish for a trade. The endgame is still exactly what it was one month ago: The Cowboys and Parsons will probably eventually reach an agreement on a deal that makes him the highest-paid defender in the game. And they’ll smile and shake hands and maybe even hug and have a good laugh about the whole, sordid affair.

But make no mistake: This time, there is damage that will be done.

This wasn’t some nameless, faceless trade request made through an agent. This was Parsons putting his name and his own words to it — and using strong words too. And now that it’s all out in the open, it will be a story every single day. And if it’s true that Parsons won’t leave camp — he reportedly plans to stay with the team to avoid $50,000 per day in fines — every camera and the eyes of every reporter will be trained on him every moment. And the words will follow every action and listen to every word.

Micah Parsons’ trade demand could force Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ hands in contract talks. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

That’s not exactly good news for new coach Brian Schottenheimer as he attempts to build a program and a culture. And it’s not even just about the endless questions that he and his players will be asked. It’s about how they all know that things got so toxic in Dallas that one of their biggest stars is giving up real money to force his way out the front gate.

And it was all so unnecessary. As Lamb wrote on social media, shortly after Parsons asked for his trade, “Never fails dawg. Just pay the man what you owe em. No need for the extracurricular.”

He’s right. Jones could have signed Parsons a year ago for a lot less. He could have even signed him back in March before the explosion of deals for the NFL’s top pass rushers this offseason. He could have just talked to Parsons’ agent after their private conversation and tried to build on the progress from their private talk. There was no need for all this.

Instead, Jones went his usual route, but Parsons refused to quietly fall in line. 

There is still a probable happy ending waiting for them, of course. There’s a pretty good chance that this is all just offseason noise. But it’s the loudest noise the loudest noise Jones has experienced during his history of stubborn, protracted contract negotiations. And if the fiery start is any indication, it’s going to get louder and worse before it’s over.

And maybe this time, the ending won’t be so happy after all.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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