Cowboys fans taunt Jerry Jones with Micah Parsons chants amid contract drama
Cowboys fans made their Micah Parsons demands quite clear to team owner Jerry Jones on Saturday.
One day after the All-Pro defensive end publicly requested a trade amid an ugly standoff over a contract extension, Cowboys faithful rolled up to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., with pro-Parsons signs as they broke out a “we want Micah” chant from the stands, as captured by The Athletic.
Tensions between Parsons, 26, and the Cowboys boiled over Friday when the four-time Pro Bowler stated he “no longer” wants to be in Dallas, where his NFL career officially began in 2021.
“I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this Americas team once again,” the former first-round pick wrote. “… Unfortunately I no longer want to be here.”
Parsons, who has one year left on his rookie deal, recalled a March conversation he had with Jones, 82, about leadership, but “somehow turned into him talking contract with me.”
“Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done. But when my agent reached out and spoke to [ESPN’s] Adam [Schefter] he was told the deal was pretty much done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached to [Cowboys executive VP] Stephen Jones. Again the team decided to go radio silent,” Parsons penned.
“… Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about my contract. Not one demand has been made by my agent about money years or anything else. Still I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Jones, who called out Parsons for missing time last year due to injury, offered his first comments on the bombshell trade request Saturday at training camp.
“I would say to our fans, don’t lose any sleep over this,” he told reporters. “… We’re in good shape. This is negotiation.”
The messy fallout only continued from there when Jones rehashed past contract talks involving former Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant and Jay-Z — a five-year, $70 million contract extension in 2015 —drawing reactions from the receiver and Roc Nation Sports, the latter’s management company.
“Jerry Jones I don’t think it’s smart to mention my name,” Bryant posted Saturday on X. “I kept quiet about a lot of unfair s–t…We can have story time if that’s what we are doing.”
Jones initially said Saturday, “Because when we have a problem with the player, the agent is nowhere to be found… Jay-Z said that Dez would make all meetings. Jay-Z and I negotiated the contract, spent hours. He said, ‘Anybody in my organization is on time.’ He said, ‘My office used to be on the street corner, and I’ve always been early. So, they will be on time.’ And what did I say? I said, ‘I’m going to call you [if I have a problem].’ He quit taking my call.”
Roc Nation then hit back by stating, “In 2015, at the 21 Club, on a napkin, Jerry Jones, Juan Perez, Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter and Stephen Jones negotiated a five-year, $70 million deal, which included a $45 million guarantee and a $20 million signing bonus for Dez Bryant… The claim that Mr. Carter or Roc Nation representatives did not return a call from Jerry Jones is not only a false statement, but it’s also a comical one.”
The Cowboys open the preseason against the Rams on Saturday. They visit the Super Bowl champion Eagles in the season opener on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Credit to Nypost AND Peoples
