Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is facing mounting scrutiny after firing off pointed remarks about contract decisions and injured stars as training camp opens.
The Cowboys officially opened training camp on Monday in Oxnard, California, as the team prepares for the 2025 regular season, with many questions still looming about the team’s personnel heading into the preseason.
Unsurprisingly, Jones was asked about the long delay in signing defensive end Micah Parsons to a contract extension during a press conference, a topic that has been ongoing throughout the entire offseason.
Jones was specifically asked why certain extensions, such as the deals signed by cornerback Trevon Diggs and offensive tackle Terrence Steele, are completed much earlier than deals negotiated by the franchise’s stars.
“Frankly, should we have waited on Diggs and Steele? I mean, you brought them up. I didn’t,” he said while seemingly expressing regret about those contracts.
Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones then stepped in and answered the question on his own, claiming that “the other thing is the willingness” of players to sign new deals.
“You have players who decide, ‘You know, I’m willing to wait. I’m gonna wait on bigger numbers.’ And you’ve got other players who want to be more conservative and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to have my money now.’ Every person’s different. Every player’s different,” Stephen explained.
Jerry continued this press conference by taking another random shot at Parsons, claiming that a new contract does not guarantee that the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end will play in every game.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re gonna have him. He was hurt six games last year. Seriously,” Jerry said.
Notably, Parsons did not miss six games last season, instead missing only four games while still racking up 12 sacks, two forced fumbles, and 43 total tackles.
Jerry then decided to take a shot at quarterback Dak Prescott for suffering an injury that resulted in him missing the majority of last season.
“I remember signing a player for the highest-paid position in the league, and he got knocked out for two-thirds of the year. Dak Prescott. So, there’s a lot of things you can think about, just as the players does, when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.”
Parsons quickly took to social media to express his annoyance at these comments, choosing to repost comments from Houston Texans’ legend JJ Watt.
“Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it…” wrote Watt.
“Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you.”
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Parsons has been vocal about the negotiation process throughout the offseason, most recently saying that he is prepared to “just work harder” if the Cowboys do not believe in him.
However, the defensive end has also been vocal about his desire to be paid amongst the top players in the league while also stating that he is not focused on the deals obtained by similar players.
“Not really, because I’m just going to get mine no matter what,” said Parsons.
Parsons may not have been focused on resetting the defensive linemen market leading into training camp, but Jerry’s comments could quickly change his focus and feelings about the ongoing discussions.