Micah’s trade request is about more than a contract

Just yesterday I wrote about the possibility of Micah Parsons requesting a trade like fellow NFC East disgruntled star WR Terry McLaurin.

I even stated that it would never happen.

Micah Parsons loves being a member of the Dallas Cowboys and somehow, some way, he would retire as a Cowboy when his career is over.

Boy, was I wrong.

Less than 12 hours after writing that statement, Parsons took to Twitter/X via a three-page long note to announce his official request to be traded away from the Dallas Cowboys.

My colleague at Inside The Star, Mark Heaney, detailed the contents of that post in his breaking news article, while Parsons broke the hearts of many in Cowboys Nation.

No, Micah. You can’t possibly do this to us.

However, after hearing the alleged details of this saga between Parsons and the Cowboys’ organization, I completely understand and sympathize with the perennial All-Pro.

Back Door Deals

It’s no secret that Owner/GM Jerry Jones has a penchant for dealing with players directly to get deals done.

The multi-millionaire businessman is known as a closer, a mercenary to be brought in to close the gap when the player is not satisfied.

It worked with Dez Bryant and Ezekiel Elliott, but Parsons is a different animal from a different generation.

He refuses to be taken advantage of, and I applaud him for it.

In Micah’s post detailing the timeline of how he arrived at the decision to request a trade from the team, Parsons explained how an impromptu meeting about leadership conveniently turned into talks about a new contract.

If you’ve ever been alone in a room with your boss, you can imagine that Parsons may have felt slightly uncomfortable and pressured into speaking about a future contract without his representation present.

According to Jones, he and Parsons not only laid the groundwork for a new contract, but most of the details were hammered out in that office.

Parsons’ account differs, and things went sour when Micah decided to table conversations until his agent was present.

At that point, all communication about a new contract ceased.

That tells me that Jerry unsuccessfully tried to pull the wool over Micah’s eyes, and that disrespect shouldn’t be tolerated by anyone, much less the most dynamic pass-rusher in the world.

Setting a Precedent

Prior to Parsons’ early afternoon request for a trade, no player has had the ball bearings to stand up and expose Jones’ terrible negotiation tactics.

They are hurting the Cowboys, and it seems to get worse with every passing year.

Last season, Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb received the stink-eye treatment from Jones, but eventually got their deals.

Micah didn’t give Jones a chance to jerk him around this time, promptly requesting a trade before his name could be dragged through any more mud.

This may be the first time since Emmitt Smith that a player has stood up to Jones this way, but I can assure you that it won’t be the last time.

Parsons’ request for release and simultaneous bashing of Jones’ negotiating tactics puts a spotlight on NFL ownership, and specifically on how poorly the Cowboys organization handles it’s star players.

By his own words, Parsons feels disrespected by how the contract negotiations have played out.

Jerry’s mouth may have finally gotten to him into deeper water than he’s comfortable with, and it’s just the beginning.