Micah Parsons isn’t a holdout. As of Tuesday, he isn’t a hold-in.
But that doesn’t mean that he’s pleased with the state of his contract discussions with the Dallas Cowboys.
As Cowboys training camp started in earnest on Tuesday with the first practice of the summer in Oxnard, California, Parsons showed up. After the session without pads in which Parsons was a limited participant, Parsons spoke candidly with assembled media about the lack of movement on a contract extension as he approaches the final season of his five-year rookie deal.
Micah Parsons is “participating,” but all he did on this pursuit drill was hold the tackling dummy. pic.twitter.com/Uap2ZJbJ7P
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) July 22, 2025
“We’ll see,” Parsons said. “We’ll just see how long things take.”
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‘You wish you had the same type of energy’
Parsons was then asked if he’s “discouraged” by the absence of a new contract. He pointed to new deals for fellow All-Pro pass rushers T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett in his response.
“Honestly, yeah,” Parsons responded. “When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best guys. I see T.J. got taken care of. Maxx got taken care of. Myles got taken care of.
“He’s got two years left on his deal. You see a lot of people in our league getting taken care of, you wish you had that same type of energy.”
Crosby signed an extension valued at $35.5 million per year. Garrett’s and Watt’s extensions will pay them $40-plus million per season. Parsons is projected to sign a deal that matches or exceeds Watt’s three-year, $123 million deal. That is if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is willing to pay Parsons his market value.
Parsons responds to shots fired by Jerry Jones
Parsons’ comments arrive a day after Jones raised eyebrows with his own comments regarding negotiations with Parsons. In a single sentence during a news conference, Jones managed to take an unprompted swipe at Parsons and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him,” Jones said of Parsons. “He was hurt six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year — Dak Prescott.
“So there’s a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”
Jones’ comment regarding Parsons’ games played was not accurate. Parsons missed four games due to injury last season, not six. Prior to 2024, Parsons had missed one regular season game in his three NFL seasons.
‘Not here to please another grown man’
Parsons was asked about Jones’ comments Tuesday afternoon and if he’d spoken with Jones since Jones’ news conference.
“I’m gonna talk to him,” Parsons said of Jones. … “At the end of the day, I’m here for my teammates. I’m not here to please another grown man. …
“I’m here for these guys. I’m not here for him.”
Micah Parsons on Jerry Jones’ comments yesterday:
“At the end of the day, I’m here for my teammates. I’m not here to please another grown man. … I’m here for these guys, I’m not here for him.”#DallasCowboyspic.twitter.com/cY5iwjHsDH
— DLLS Cowboys (@DLLS_Cowboys) July 22, 2025
So, what’s next?
The longer Parsons’ contract situation lingers, the bigger the story will become.
And according to Jones, there’s little progress being made. He told reporters Monday that he was not engaged in active discussions with Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta about an extension.
So Parsons is participating for now, and he says he’s doing so for himself and his teammates. But the pads aren’t on yet. The Cowboys aren’t scheduled for a full practice with pads until Sunday.
If Parsons and the Cowboys remain without a deal this weekend, his status for the first hard-hitting practice of camp could be the next inflection point in this story.
