Dak Prescott has stood in Micah Parsons' shoes. Not too long ago, it was Prescott in search of a record-breaking contract extension, and Jerry Jones refusing to let in. With Week 1 of the NFL season just over a week away, Jones is faced with a similar predicament. Should he continue to make a show of Parsons' negotiations for the sake of entertainment, or finally give in and make his pass rusher happy by the time the games matter most? Thankfully, Prescott is not worried.
“I’ve got confidence,” Prescott said Monday. “I’ve told ya’ll that way back when. And I’m just going off experience, honestly. No different than mine. I’ve got confidence in that. Just hoping, which I know he is, he’s ready to play.”
Much like Prescott back in September of 2024, Parsons holds all the cards. The longer Jones waits, the more money Micah will receive when he finally does sign an extension, either in Dallas or elsewhere. Jones enjoys putting on a show to see if his players will crack under pressure.
Dak Prescott speaks from experience about Micah Parsons, Cowboys
For the most part, Parsons has handled himself well and used some classic bargaining chips – asking for a trade, discussing what it'd be like to play elsewhere, and sitting out training camp. Much like Prescott did ahead of the Cowboys then-Week 1 opener against the Cleveland Browns, there is a time when Jones' off-field chatter will stop, and he finally gets down to the business of negotiating with Parsons.
“There’s been a case of something similar to this the last three years, I believe, if not before,” Prescott said. “I think that people can take it however they want. I think it’s kind of part of the way guys think and see things around here...When you’re here in this organization, this is just how you see things are done, whether they’re right, wrong or whoever has their view about them. But what I think that does help is allow us just to stay focused on our jobs and understanding that us putting energy towards any of that doesn’t help.”
Why Jerry Jones is playing hardball with Micah Parsons
Jones is a master manipulator and a showman. While he claims he prefers Super Bowls and on-field accolades to franchise valuations, much of the reason the Cowboys are the most-valuable franchise in the NFL is Jerry himself. The son of an oil salesman bought a team he loved, and turned it into something great. That should be a story everyone can relate to, even Prescott.
There is always a chance Parsons doesn't show up to the Cowboys Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles. If that's the case, then Jones and Prescott misread the situation entirely. However, one of Parsons' closest friends on the team, Trevon Diggs, seems to believe he'll play – and has been preparing as such.
“I’ve heard him say before, he plays the game for us,” Diggs said. “We go out there sweating, blood, sweat and tears, we work out together, training together. It’s really him being with us at the end of the day. I know for sure he wants to be out there with us and helping this team win. This is home. This is his family. So why wouldn’t he want to be here?”
As Prescott said earlier this offseason: These melodramas have a tendency to work themselves out.