Nothing from negotiations between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys — or the lack thereof — suggests that Parsons will be on the field for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
But Dak Prescott is not worried. The Cowboys quarterback has experienced his own protracted negotiations with owner Jerry Jones on multiple occasions. And he’s confident that a deal will get done to get Parsons on the field in Week 1.
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Prescott spoke with reporters Monday afternoon about the prolonged stalemate between the Cowboys and their All-Pro pass rusher.
“I’ve got confidence,” Prescott said of a deal getting done, per beat reporter Clarence Hill Jr. “I told y’all way back when. I’m just going off of experience, honestly, no different than mine. I’ve got confidence in that.”
Prescott’s gone through a pair of painstaking contract negotiations with the Cowboys since Dallas drafted him in 2016. Both have resulted in lucrative long-term contract extensions.
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The Cowboys and Prescott didn’t initially reach a deal at the end of his rookie contract, and he played on a $31.4 million franchise tag in 2020. The following spring, Prescott signed a four-year, $160 million extension with a record $75 million in its first season. Prescott signed it a day before the NFL’s franchise tag deadline for 2021.
Dak Prescott has been here before with Jerry Jones — on multiple occasions.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
When it came time for negotiations last offseason, Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb each went through high-profile, late-summer negotiations that resulted in Lamb holding out.
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Both ultimately signed. Prescott didn’t reach his deal until just hours before Dallas’ regular-season kickoff against the Cleveland Browns. The result was a four-year, $240 million extension with the highest annual salary in NFL history.
Is Jerry Jones just stirring things up?
So there’s an obvious trend here. Jerry Jones pushes things to the brink in negotiations that frequently linger until the hours before and sometimes even beyond hard deadlines.
And Jones has a penchant for ginning up headlines, whether they’re good or bad. To Jones, any attention on the Cowboys is good attention. He said so himself earlier this month while promoting a Netflix documentary on the Cowboys.
“If we’re not being looked at, then I’ll do my part to get us looked at,” Jones said. … “The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I’ll stir it up.
“It’s wonderful to have the great athletes, have the great players. But there’s something more there. There’s sizzle, there’s emotion. And if you will, there’s controversy. That controversy’s good stuff in terms of keeping and having people’s attention.”
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Jones has certainly stirred it up with the Parsons’ negotiations. And he has our attention. For the latest example, see this story that you’re currently reading.
So is Jones extending negotiations with Parsons for the sake of stirring it up? It doesn’t seem a reasonable thing to do, considering the risk to the Cowboys’ performance on the field and his relationship with his star player.
But with Jones, you can’t count that prospect out.
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