“Fire Jerry Jones.” “Pay Micah.” “Jerry and the Jones family are the real problems of the Dallas Cowboys.” These are some of the hottest comments by NFL fans after noticing that the Cowboys’ owner seemingly dragged out Micah Parsons’ contract extension. Things got spicy in Dallas when the star defender publicly announced that he is requesting a trade while simply waiting for his share of contributions for months.
Micah posted on X on July 31: “Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close-door negotiations without my agent present.” For the past few months, the star defender has been trying to get an answer on his contract extension, but he has been talking to a wall.
Actually, there were high chances, inflated by rumors, that Micah could sign a massive deal on a certain date, but Jerry seems in no hurry to sign a contract. In fact, the $10 billion franchise has a point to convey to all its fans regarding the “delay” in contract extension negotiations. Jones has mentioned former Cowboys legend & Super Bowl champion, and the same situation was swirling in the city at that time while speaking out on Micah’s extension.
Micah Parsons Set to Follow Former Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith’s way
Jerry Jones recently gave an interview to USA Today at the training camp on August 3. When the reporter asked, “Why has it taken so long to strike a deal with Micah Parsons?” Jerry mentioned former star Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith and hinted a bit at how Micah could go in that way.
Jones replied to the reporter, “It took a long time with Emmitt Smith. Same thing with (Zack) Martin two years ago. (Cee Dee) Lamb last year. When you have the ability for players under contract to basically renegotiate or say, ‘I’m not going to play the contract,’ then you have those things happen.”
On September 16, 1993, the Cowboys’ legendary running back and Hall of Famer, Emmitt Smith, signed a massive contract, which made him the highest-paid wide receiver of that time.
The deal surpassed that of former Buffalo Bill Thurman Thomas, who had been the highest paid at the time. According to the Los Angeles Times, Jones said he gave Smith a four-year deal that was ‘front-loaded into 1993. The deal reportedly paid Smith $7 million in the first year, $4 million as a signing bonus, and $3 million in salary. But what was the backstory of this highest-paid contract, and how is it similar to Parsons’ contract extension?
It’s pretty much similar to Micah. First up, the will to become the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL. A few weeks back, when the Steelers signed a massive contract with T.J. Watt, the reports started hitting social media that the Cowboys were waiting for the Steelers to conclude the deal with Watt, so that they could pay Micah more than T.J. Watt. A similar story goes with Emmitt Smith. In Smith’s case, the Hall of Famer also wanted to become the same. But Jerry didn’t give Emmitt what he wanted in a minute. Jones had held out on his contract extension, citing a higher salary cap that was due to be implemented next year.
Jerry Jones in No Hurry
However, Jerry Jones made him the highest-paid player after the holdout. Later asked about it, Jerry replied, “We now have one of the cornerstones of our team (signed) for the next few years, while a lot of the NFL will be in turmoil because of the salary cap.” But when asked why he didn’t have the same amount a few months ago, Jerry added, “Offers sometimes can result in negotiations moving apart. Whether we made mistakes in strategy, I don’t know. But there is a difference in what you’re willing to pay and what you’re willing to offer.”
And now, coming back to 2025 from 1993, if we focus our cameras closer to Micah Parsons’ deal, the defender’s agent (David Mulugheta) is reportedly asking for the highest-paid non-QB deal while the Cowboys are in difficulties with the salary cap. They currently have a space of $31,568,802.
So, how Micah would end up following Emmitt Smith’s way is that, despite the salary cap space of merely $31,568,802, Jerry may sign Parsons at one point this season. If you remember, CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott didn’t sign their contract extensions before training camp began. So, that’s why Jerry is in no hurry to just ‘show off’, he is signing Micah a massive deal. The matter is not if, but when. These are the few reasons behind Jerry saying, “Don’t lose sleep over Parsons’ contract extension”.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
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