Micah Parsons wants out of the Dallas Cowboys after contract negotiations ground to a halt.
The superstar pass-rusher is in line to be the best-paid non-quarterback in the NFL after racking up 52.5 sacks through four seasons.
But talks have turned sour after the Cowboys refused to deal with Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta and owner Jerry Jones caused a stir with typically brash public comments about the situation.
It is unlikely that the mogul, who missed the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams and is yet to practice at training camp, honors his talent’s trade request.
Jerry’s son and CEO Stephen is adamant that the four-time All-Pro will remain a Cowboy.
“It’s great that he is here. It’s what’s expected. He’s under contract for us. We’ll keep going,” he said. “That’s the nature of the negotiation.”
But with under a month to go until the Week 1 clash with the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the stakes are high.
“The Dallas Cowboys could have gotten this done a lot sooner,” analyst Tyler Sullivan said on CBS Sports HQ. “They could have done it earlier in the offseason when the highest-paid non-quarterback title was changing hands like a hot potato.
“I mean, it was Maxx Crosby, then Ja’Marr Chase, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt most recently. They could have really brought this number a lot lower, but the longer they waited, Micah Parsons’ number just kept going up. I think right now it’s over $41 million per season. That could have been a lot lower for Jerry Jones.
“Part of me wonders if Jerry Jones just likes this because we’ve seen it time and time again — whether it was Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott — you can go back as well, taking it to the wire in terms of contract negotiations leading up to Week 1, being in the headlines, and ultimately, everything works out all hunky-dory; they’re back as a Dallas Cowboy.
“I wonder if we’re just going through the same song and dance here with Micah Parsons.”
As well as seeing Parsons’ value inflate with a series of record contracts over the offseason, the Cowboys will also need to get him into football shape should a deal be struck.
Rashawn Slater out for the season
That could be easier said than done and the Los Angeles Chargers losing Rashawn Slater for the season just weeks after making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history with a four-year, $113 million agreement.
Slater, whose ex-wife hit out at social media narratives about the haul, decided on a hold-in while negotiations were ongoing after suffered a torn patella tendon shortly after returning to the field.
“It’s like a gut punch,” coach Jim Harbaugh said Friday.
“His right foot slipped out from under him as he was making a set before contact. And then all his weight came down on his left side and it was too much strain on the patella and it ruptured.”
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio suggested that Slater might have been given too heavy a workload after speaking to an unnamed source.
“There is some data to support the idea that injuries are more likely to happen after a hold-in, if the players returns to full duty without a proper acclimation period,” he wrote. “As the source said, the data, “Should not be dismissed.’”
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Jones has already suggested that one of his main concerns with paying out on huge guaranteed contracts is the risk of injury.
“Just because we sign him [Micah Parsons] doesn’t mean we’re gonna have him,” he said. “I remember signing a player for the highest paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out 2/3 of the year — Dak Prescott.”
Should Parsons sign up for an extended stay in Jerry’s World, he might be wise to consider Slater’s predicament.
He has been working out privately but there is little that can be done to recreate the toll that football takes on the body.
Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward are among the other high-profile hold-ins.
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