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Micah Parsons contract dispute: Emmitt Smith gives damning answer on Cowboys negotiation strategy

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones08/12/25brianjones_93
Emmitt Smith
Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Emmitt Smith knows all about how the Dallas Cowboys are handling the contract negotiations with Micah Parsons. Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News spoke to the Cowboys’ legendary running back and asked him if contract negotiations — like he had when he was playing in Dallas — can be distracting for a team.

“They had to answer these questions every day,” Emmitt Smith said at the permiere of the Netflix docuseries America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys on Monday. “They got to deal with something that has nothing to do with the game of football. It’s a distraction.”

Smith had a contract dispute with the Cowboys in 1993. He sat out the first two games and was ready to sit out the entire season. When it was all said and done, the Cowboys and Smith agreed to a four-year, $13.6 million deal after the Cowboys lost each of their first two games. And once Smith was signed, the Cowboys won their second consecutive Super Bowl.

Will Micah Parsons be with the Cowboys in the season opener?

Based on what Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had said about the situation with Micah Parsons, the Cowboys might have a similar situation as they did with Smith. Last week, Jones was asked if he’s confident Parsons will play in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.

“No, absolutely not,” Jones said on Aug. 5, per Todd Archer of ESPN. “A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that?”

Parsons asked for a trade shortly before Jones’ comments. The former Penn State star is under contract for this season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal and is set to make $21.324 million.

“Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here,” Parsons wrote in his trade request. “I no longer want to be held to closed-door negotiations without my agent present. No longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.

“… I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to [Cowboys CEO] Stephen Jones personally.”