Micah Parsons contract negotiation: 'It's gotten personal,' per Adam Schefter

Earlier this month, Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons publicly announced he’d officially requested a trade after his contract talks with the organization had stalled. During an appearance on Get Up on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on Parsons’ contract negotiations with Dallas.

“It is different. It’s gotten personal, and they’re no closer to a deal, and there’s no reason to think that the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons will be able to work out a deal before the start of the regular season,” Schefter said.

“Now, again, it’s August 18, and sides always can come together, but we want to emphasize, there has been zero contract negotiations since late March and early April. Is that going to change all of a sudden? I don’t think so.”

Since as early as 2023, Parsons has been seeking to secure a new contract with the Cowboys. However, the organization has been hesitant to sign Parsons to a new long-term deal, especially since they can use their franchise tag on Parsons to prevent him from becoming an unrestricted free agent until 2028.

The Cowboys exercised the fifth-year option on Parsons’ rookie contract this year, but will have no choice but to make a decision after the season concludes. Of course, Parsons’ holdout may cause the organization to make a decision sooner than anticipated.

Parsons attended the Cowboys’ training camp to avoid NFL fines, but it’s unclear if he’ll take the field when the regular season begins on Sept. 4. If Parsons doesn’t play, he could be losing $1.25 million each week.

Worse, if Parsons decides to play, he could be rusty due to not participating at practice, which could ultimately lead to him receiving less money in his next deal. Evidently, the complicated situation isn’t pushing either side closer to the negotiation table.

“If there’s no deal in sight, what’s going to happen? Is Micah going to play in the opener?” Schefter said. “Already heard Jerry Jones wonder about whether Micah would be out there on opening day. What would be the Cowboys’ plan here?

“… At some point in time, you have to wonder if they would look to trade him. Now they’ve been very opposed to that idea, publicly saying we’re not interested in trading him, he’s not going to be dealt, but you can’t not sign the guy, and then you can’t not trade him. It’s one or the other.”

On Sept. 4, the Cowboys will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in their season-opener at 8:20 p.m. ET. The game will air live on NBC.