Penn State's Micah Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and many thought Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL before their regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. However, as we near the regular season kickoff, the contract situation remains stagnant and has come to a stage where Parsons wants out. This further complicates the situation regarding his Week 1 availability.
On Wednesday, after the second-to-last practice session in California, Parsons remained shut when reporters asked questions to him. Meanwhile, Jones had a lot to say, one of which confirms that he expects Parsons to play in Week 1. When the reporter asked the owner if there is any deadline to sign him to an extension, Jones said:
“You don’t have deadlines when you’re playing under a contract.”
Jones further added that while both parties remain afar in the negotiation, the contractual obligations remain. He said:
“All you got to go on are contracts. We are negotiating for a contract. When you do a contract, you would hope that after a negotiation that that’s what both the team and player look to see what our obligations are. I have a lot of respect for a contract.”
Thus, Jones might not have said it directly, but he hopes Parsons to play out his last year of the contract, even if that means without a new contract in hand. However, Parsons, who has not participated largely during the training camp, may not want to lose his leverage by playing.