Cowboys could lose Micah Parsons after Jerry Jones made his business personal

The Dallas Cowboys are once again locked in the offseason's most aggravating contract saga. Micah Parsons is waiting on his new deal, which is widely expected to make him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history, ripping the title away from TJ Watt in Pittsburgh. While Parsons re-signing in Dallas has long felt inevitable, Jerry Jones has a special gift for complicating relationships and jeopardizing the success of his football team.

There is a reason most owners don't name themselves GM and speak freely on all football matters. Because that is when you end up saying something incredibly stupid like Jones did on Monday afternoon when asked about Parsons' future with the organization.

"Just because we sign (Parsons), doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones told reporters. "He was hurt six games last year. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league, then he got knocked out two-thirds of the year. Dak Prescott."

Jerry Jones cites injury history as reason Micah Parsons deal isn't done yet

This is just nonsense, to be clear. For starters, Parsons only missed four games last season, not six. And secondly, Parsons was an ironman through his first three campaigns in a Cowboys uniform, never missing a game. He has missed four games in four seasons, playing in 63 of 67 possible regular season matchups. Jones has zero ground to stand on.

There is zero benefit to this comment from Jones. All it does is push Parsons further away. The All-Pro linebacker has handled this whole situation with the utmost professionalism. He vowed to show up to training camp. All he has ever done since arriving in the league is talk about how much he loves being a Cowboy. Few stars are so outwardly committed to their franchise. Parsons is a very public-facing individual. He is, in many ways, the face of Cowboys football. For Jones to treat him like a liability is egregious.

It's one thing to keep contract talks going throughout training camp in an effort to gain leverage. All owners want to save money at the end of the day. There's a reason TJ Watt didn't sign until last week and Trey Hendrickson is still waiting on a deal in Cincinnati. But to actually come out and argue for why your superstar defensive anchor does not deserve his desired contract is a new and bold strategy, one most teams in an amicable relationship with their star would never deploy.

Jerry Jones risks alienating Micah Parsons and other Cowboys stars

Not only did Jones throw Parsons under the bus for missing a handful of games last season, but he also brought up his franchise quarterback, Dak Prescott, as an example of the risk inherent to substantial contracts. Of course injuries are a risk — no player is exempt from them and they can strike at any moment, often at random. But Prescott is your franchise QB and your most expensive player. Parsons is your best player and he has overwhelmingly be healthy and available through four years of NFL service. Why are we trying to knock them down a peg as a bargaining chip?

The last thing Jones and the Cowboys need to Parsons resolving to not sign a contract and leave in free agency. That is the nightmare scenario. It's still hard to imagine things reaching that point, but if Jones isn't careful, he could push Parsons out the door before the linebacker even considers coming down on his demands.