The Pittsburgh Steelers gave T.J. Watt a massive extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. While AFC North rivals are obviously disappointed with that outcome, the Dallas Cowboys might be the biggest losers of the deal. The reason for that, of course, is that Micah Parsons remains extension-less. The star edge rusher made it clear that the blame for his contract talks reaching a stalemate should be placed on owner/GM Jerry Jones' shoulders.
“We obviously want to get it done early,” Parsons said in an interview with former WWE star The Undertaker on the Six-Feet Under with The Undertaker podcast. “We want that relief off our backs, but, obviously, ownership’s always going to make it drag out, make it more complicated than it has to be, lack of communication.”
From a player standpoint, it might make sense for Parsons to want to drag this out, knowing that his price is only going up by the day. However, this isn't what's happening. Parsons says he wants to get it done as soon as possible, and that ownership has not been communicative when it comes to getting something done. That's frustrating for Cowboys fans for a couple of reasons.
Micah Parsons blames Jerry Jones for contract dispute, and rightfully so
If Parsons truly wants to get a deal done, why is Jones waiting? Parsons has been arguably the league's best edge rusher since he stepped foot into the league, and at just 26 years of age, he's got plenty of elite years left. Shouldn't Jones want to ensure a deal gets done before things get ugly?
Additionally, by waiting, Parsons' value is only increasing. The Steelers had to pay Watt more than they wanted to because Watt was demanding a contract that paid him more than the previous record-breaker, Miles Garrett. Now, Parsons is going to demand a contract greater than what Watt received, and rightfully so. Jones might not like it, but this is how the NFL works. Stars look to set records with their contracts.
What makes this even worse for Cowboys fans is that they've seen this before. Just last offseason, both CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott were looking for new extensions. Lamb didn't end up signing his until late August, and Prescott's deal didn't come until the day of their Week 1 contest. Now, the deals did get done, but because Jones waited, he alianated everyone involved and had to pay more than he perhaps would've had he done the deal early in the offseason.
Parsons has been vocal about wanting a contract for over a year now. Had the Cowboys gotten a deal done last offseason, it would've been looked at like a steal now. Had the Cowboys gotten a deal done before the Browns signed Miles Garrett, even, the deal would've been looked at with a positive lens. There's no reason to expect the Cowboys won't get a deal done with Parsons, but now, they're going to have to pay him more than they otherwise would've had to had they operated with any urgency. The cherry on top is that if Trey Hendrickson's situation concludes sometime soon, Parsons' value might get even higher.
Jones has always been a fan of the headlines, and perhaps the attention his team is getting is why he's willing to wait on Parsons' extension. At the end of the day, though, it's inexcusable that Jones continues to repeat the same mistakes with star players over and over again.