Cowboys players waste no time choosing sides in Micah Parsons-Jerry Jones beef

The tension between Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons and team owner Jerry Jones took a dramatic turn on Friday when Parsons released a statement from his official X account, asking for a trade.

In his statement, titled “Thank You Dallas,” Parsons expressed deep disappointment and a lack of respect from the Cowboys’ front office. He claimed that despite multiple attempts to initiate contract talks, the team failed to engage with his agent, David Mulugheta. “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys,” Parsons wrote, confirming that he submitted a trade request directly to team COO Stephen Jones.

This isn’t the first time the Cowboys have found themselves in hot water over contract talks. According to an article by Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones have a long history of attempting to negotiate directly with players while circumventing agents. This tactic has caused frustration in the agent community, with many accusing the Cowboys of trying to manipulate players into accepting discounted deals.

The Cowboys' contract extension tactics may have backfired this time

Parsons provided more details on his social media about the meeting he had with Jerry Jones in March, which was about leadership, and somehow turned into Jones talking contract with him.

"At no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done. But when my agent reached out and spoke to [senior director of salary cap and player contracts Adam Prasifka] he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again the team decided to go silent.”

This latest contract standoff has now spilled inside the Cowboys' locker room. Long-time Cowboys beat reporter Claren Hill Jr. tweeted a photo of Juanyeh Thomas and DeMarvion Overshawn showing support for Parsons.

Even wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who went through a lengthy contract negotiation last season, made his feelings known in his tweet.

I know many Cowboys are thinking, "Here we go again!" Myles Garrett demanded a trade this offseason, but it ended in a contract extension. They have seen this dog and pony show too many times before, where cooler heads prevail and both sides will eventually reach an agreement.

Their tactics have led to strained relationships and prolonged negotiations with stars like Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. In Elliott’s case, his agents even sent him to Cabo San Lucas during a 2019 holdout to avoid direct contact with the Jones family. But Micah Parsons appears to be the first player to push back and challenge the way Jones conducts business.

As history shows, the Cowboys’ negotiation tactics may have worked in the past. But this time, they may have pushed it too far, and it could result in losing their star pass rusher, either by forcing a trade or as a free agent next offseason.