Micah Parsons brings nachos to a gunfight he can’t win with Cowboys

Superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons showed up for the Dallas Cowboys' 2025 preseason finale amid an ugly, public dispute between himself and the team. Ironically, he didn't seem to have a care in the world, walking through the tunnel with his head buried in a container of nachos. The lack of visible concern tells a different story than recent antics in this well-chronicled spat, especially as Week 1 looms.

Parsons and Dallas' owner/general manager, Jerry Jones, continue to send messages to each other without speaking directly, though tensions are ostensibly flaring. The former scrubbed his social media of anything Cowboys-related, and the latter is spewing in front of any camera you put in front of him. It's a messy situation with no clear end date, but a potential inflection point that favors the organization looms.

Cowboys hold the cards amid messy Micah Parsons standstill

The Cowboys kick off the upcoming NFL campaign with a divisional showdown against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sep. 4. Is Parsons legitimately going to forfeit game checks and hold out into the season? He loses $1.2 million for every contest missed; this would be quite an expensive statement to make, even just once.

Moreover, what does Parsons stand to gain from sitting out? Doing so won't make the Cowboys any more likely to honor his trade request on Aug. 1. If anything, you can argue it'd further rile up the notoriously petty Jones and make him further lean into the drama and chaos.

In the wake of Jones' media appearances, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said the Cowboys aren't interested in moving Parsons despite "multiple" inquiries. The insider added that it would take a "Herculean" package to remotely entertain an offer. Doesn't that kind of prove our point about Jones' uncompromising ways?

We want to see Parsons get paid, not lose money. He's already arguably the best non-quarterback in football and only turned 26 in May. The perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate deserves a contract representative of his dominance, particularly in a booming pass rusher market. Nevertheless, not dressing in action that counts toward the standings and the Cowboys' playoff chances isn't the way to make that happen.

Only four players have recorded more sacks than Parsons since he entered the league in 2021 (52.5). Dallas is tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the fourth-best record during that span. The success and arrival of the one-man wrecking crew hardly feel like a coincidence. Why not continue to let the results do the talking?