Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones raised eyebrows when he admitted on Tuesday that he “absolutely” couldn’t say for sure that Micah Parsons will feature in Dallas’ Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.
The pass-rusher in the final year of his rookie contract requested a trade on Aug. 1.
During Tuesday’s edition of the ESPN “NFL Live” program, former Cowboys defensive star and current analyst Marcus Spears voiced a major concern regarding a standoff that is seemingly getting ugly.
“It’s a bad situation, and I don’t know if money is going to fix the relationship,” Spears said about Parsons’ desire to receive a pay raise, as shared by Chris Franklin of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. “I know a lot of people will say he’s going to get paid and everything will be fine and he’ll just play football. But when you’re counting on a guy like Micah to be the leader of your team, to be one of the faces of your franchise, and even though he has money in his pocket, he may feel unsupported, and that could be an issue within the locker room, which can permeate and translate to on the field.”
Multiple Cowboys players took to social media to show support for Parsons after the 26-year-old went public with his trade request. For what it’s worth, numerous reporters have said throughout the week that “the Cowboys have no intention of trading” Parsons this summer.
The Cowboys have Parsons under contract and could retain his rights for 2026 via the franchise tag, if necessary. Additionally, Jones seems to have no interest in embracing a roster rebuild after he signed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott to big-money extensions last summer.
That said, the perception exists that the Cowboys drag their feet as it pertains to eventually signing key players to lucrative deals. NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated previously noted that Parsons could be “at risk for a soft-tissue injury after losing” noteworthy training-camp practice reps during his hold-in.
“The way Jerry handles business affects the actual play of football when the games start,” Spears added during the segment. “That is something I’ve been screaming for a number of years when it comes to Dallas.”
History suggests Jones will eventually give Parsons millions of reasons to play against the Eagles on the first Thursday of September. It remains to be seen what version of Parsons the Cowboys will have in the lineup for that prime-time matchup, assuming he makes the trip to Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
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