During contract negotiations, the last thing a person wants to do is make them more complicated.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might have done that.
With star pass rusher Micah Parsons entering the final year of his rookie deal and aching for a massive new contract, Jones, in his inimitable style, tossed a jab his way.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,” Jones said, “He missed six games last year. Seriously.”
Parsons, who only missed four Cowboys games while accruing 12 sacks last season, hasn’t been subtle with his desire for a payday.
Jones, meanwhile, doesn’t exactly seem in a rush to dole out the cash in this instance for reasons that feel both real and odd.
“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. “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.”
He wasn’t done there, noting that he made quarterback Dak Prescott the richest player in football with a four-year, $240 million deal last season, only to have him miss two-thirds of 2024.
Jones picking a fight with Parsons, a man who has racking up 52.5 sacks over 63 games in his four-year career — adding Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, twice being named a first-team All-Pro and making the Pro Bowl in each season — might be misguided.
Parsons, 26, definitely saw his owner’s comments, re-posting former star pass rusher J.J. Watt’s take on the situation.
“Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it,” Watt wrote Monday. “Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you.”
While Parsons has spoken about his contract situation yet, it’s clear he has some thoughts on the matter, whether Jones wants to hear them or not.