Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was not exactly complimentary about pass rusher Micah Parsons when the two sides’ ongoing contract negotiations came up during his media availability on Monday.
Jones has received criticism for waiting too long to pursue new contracts with certain players, with the Parsons situation cited as an example. The Cowboys owner hit back at that assertion by essentially calling into question Parsons’ durability.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him. He was hurt six games last year,” Jones said. “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 — Dak Prescott. There’s a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones randomly takes a shot at Micah Parsons, saying even if they sign him, it doesn’t mean they’ll have him, because he was hurt for 6 games last year (fact check: he only missed 4).
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 21, 2025
He then also says they made Dak Prescott the richest player in football —… pic.twitter.com/g6T8FnEEOX
Parsons’ injury history seemed like an odd thing to bring up in the middle of contract negotiations. That is especially true because, up until last season, Parsons had been reliably durable and had sat out just one game over his first three NFL seasons. There are injury risks with every player, but Parsons certainly has not shown any signs of being injury-prone.
Parsons is entering the final season of his rookie deal and wants a new contract from the Cowboys. He is due to make $24 million this season, but has seen the likes of Myles Garrett and TJ Watt sign new deals this offseason worth more than $40 million annually.
For now, Parsons does not plan to force the issue further with a training camp holdout. It is not clear how far along he and the Cowboys are in negotiations.
The No. 12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Parsons has been everything the Cowboys could have hoped for, tallying 52.5 sacks in his first four NFL seasons.
