NFL: How Might the Micah Parsons Contract Stalemate Impact the 2025 Cowboys?

• The Micah Parsons contract stalemate is an unwanted focus of Cowboys’ training camp
• Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have made passive-aggressive statements about the status of the negotiations
• Parsons, one of the NFL‘s most dominating defenders, is indispensable to the Cowboys’ 2025 hopes
• He is entering the final season of his rookie deal and is not holding out of camp

Cowboys Win Totals and Parsons’ Individual Performance Odds

The Joneses Have a History of Hard Negotiating Tactics

It was 32 years ago and the Cowboys were in the middle of the Jimmy Johnson/Troy Aikman/Emmitt Smith/Michael Irvin dynasty of three Super Bowls in four years when, after the first championship, Smith held out of training camp and missed the first two games of the season, both losses.

Fans were enraged; Charles Haley swung his helmet and put a hole in the wall; Johnson seemed to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown; and Jones was adamant he would not overpay for Smith.

Smith eventually signed and went on to win the NFL MVP award as the Cowboys won their second straight Super Bowl.

The Jones family’s negotiating style has always been hard-line. They made “he’s great but…” style comments about Parsons. Parsons was not happy about it, nor is he thrilled with the situation.

Still, he’s in camp. He could very easily hold out. The Joneses don’t seem particularly bothered if a player isn’t at camp. It makes sense given that most star players barely play in preseason games anyway. With the 17-game season, nobody wants to run the risk of injury in camp.

What Does Parsons Mean for the Cowboys?

Since he was drafted 12th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Penn State, Parsons has been to the Pro Bowl every year and is a 2X All-Pro. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, and finished second and third in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023. He averages 14.2 sacks per year.

With his strength, his speed, and his flexibility to move around the field, the Cowboys cannot replace him. Their current win total is O/U 7.5. They have a rookie head coach in Brian Schottenheimer and are coming off a disappointing, injury-plagued season in 2024. If Parsons says enough’s enough with the Joneses refusing to bend on his contract and he holds out, the Cowboys will not get beyond 7.5 wins.

Fear Not, Cowboys Fans

Although the Micah Parsons contract impasse appears contentious, the one thing about the Joneses is that they know how much they need him, and their history has been to eventually pay their superstars. They just put them through the ringer first.

Whether it is a strategy Jerry Jones learned from his days as an oil and gas entrepreneur and risked everything to buy the Cowboys, or he just likes to see his face on television and have people talking about him, he knows the team cannot win without Parsons and that he will need to pay his star. The only question is when and if it will negatively impact Parsons’ numbers.

So what’s your take on the Parsons-Cowboys contract battle?

New Player Bonus 50% up to $1000

BET NOW