The Dallas Cowboys gathered for training camp on Monday and owner Jerry Jones met with the media to kick things off. Per usual, it didn't take long for his press conference to take an unexpected turn.
One of the first topics brought up on Monday was Micah Parsons's contract situation. The All-Pro defender is looking to get a big raise as he enters the final year of his deal but the Cowboys haven't shown much urgency to get it done. Parsons is not holding out of camp and showed up for work when training camp began but until an extension is agreed upon the negotiation will be a talking point.
While discussing the situation Jones suddenly veered away from the contract and instead made some strangely critical comments about the fact that Parsons was injured last season.
"Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones said to the assembled reporters. "He was hurt six games last year. Seriously!"
To further make his point Jones brought up Dak Prescott's own injury struggles in 2024 that came after Dallas gave him big-time extension.
"I remember signing a player (to become) the highest-paid player at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year," Jones said. "Dak Prescott. So there's a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you're thinking about committment, guarantee, and money."
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones randomly takes a shot at Micah Parsons, saying even if they sign him, it doesn’t mean they’ll have him, because he was hurt for 6 games last year (fact check: he only missed 4).
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 21, 2025
He then also says they made Dak Prescott the richest player in football —… pic.twitter.com/g6T8FnEEOX
While Jones is certainly correct that availability is part of the equation when it comes to evaluating a player's worth, it's hard to understand what he gained by bringing it up. And as far as Parsons is concerned it's not really a fair point. The six games he missed in 2024 were the first games he ever missed in his NFL career. Over his first three seasons Parsons suited up for the entire regular season plus playoffs every year.
An interesting tactic from Jones as the negotiations continue.
More NFL on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jerry Jones Weirdly Threw Shade at Micah Parsons’s Injury While Talking About Big Deals.
