- Cowboys star Micah Parsons has publicly requested a trade amid contract negotiations and a perceived deteriorating relationship with the team.
- Parsons expressed frustration over informal contract discussions with owner Jerry Jones without his agent present.
- The Cowboys have a history of drawn-out contract negotiations with star players, but Parsons’ situation appears more contentious.
The relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys is deteriorating.
Parsons has requested a trade out of Dallas, he announced on social media Friday.
‘Yes I wanted to be here. U did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboys and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this Americas team once again,” Parsons said on social media. “Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present.”
Parsons public trade request comes amid his hold in at Cowboys training camp.
Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones were seen talking on the practice field earlier this offseason. But things appear to have taken a turn.
“In March I met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me,’ Parsons said. ‘Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done.”
Jones then took a jab at Parsons during training camp.
‘Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,’ Jones said. ‘He was hurt six games last year, seriously. (Note: Parsons missed only four games last year with a high ankle sprain.) We’ve signed, I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year in (quarterback) Dak Prescott.”
Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, reached out to the Cowboys but didn’t speak to Jones or his son, Stephen.
Parsons stated his agent still hasn’t spoken to the Cowboys owner or his son about a contract extension, thus leading to a trade request.
USA TODAY Sports reported in July that there’s belief the Cowboys and Parsons would eventually get a deal done.
The Cowboys are notoriously slow with finalizing contract extensions with star players. Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith held out the first two games of the 1993 regular season before he and the Cowboys settled a contract dispute. In 2019, Ezekiel Elliott held out of training camp prior to inking an extension. Fast forward to last season, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb agreed to terms on an extension in late August and quarterback Dak Prescott didn’t get his lucrative-deal finalized until the day of the Cowboys’ Week 1 season opener.
The Cowboys are on the clock with Parsons, but it appears they’ll have to also repair a fractured relationship if they hope to get deal complete.
‘Just pay the man,’ Lamb wrote on social media. ‘No need for the extra curricular.’
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
