As the NFL offseason clock continues to tick, one of the biggest stories to follow has been the possibility of Micah Parsons receiving an extension from the Dallas Cowboys. Even though the team exercised its fifth-year option for $24 million, many believe the linebacker is poised for a bigger payday soon. One of those people is James Jones, who even believes Parsons shouldn’t step foot on the field until he gets an extension.
Advertisement
Although it seems we may be heading toward a possible contract holdout, there’s been no indication from Parsons to suggest that. He attended the Cowboys’ voluntary offseason program in April and even tweeted yesterday that he will be at mandatory minicamp. Typically, a player negotiating a new deal would skip this to pressure the team owner into offering a new contract.
That’s why Super Bowl champion Jones doesn’t think Parsons should be at minicamp, risking his body during contract negotiations. So far, he likes Prescott’s approach to seeking an extension and believes the linebacker is also saying the right things. Still, he can’t imagine Parsons risking injury.
“When that first week of training camp hits, and you put them shoulder pads on, and now you’ve got to go 1 on 1 against these tackles and try to get to the quarterback. It’s a real, true possibility of you getting injured. He ain’t going to be there, and he shouldn’t be there if he doesn’t have a contract,” Jones said on The Facility.
It’s the kind of advice any smart agent would give their client. It would be foolish for Parsons to enter minicamp without a long-term contract. He’s an essential player for the Cowboys and should be paid and treated as such.
.@89JonesNTAF loves Micah Parsons’ approach to minicamp with his contract negotiations looming:
“It’s fine for now, but when that 1st week of training camp comes, he shouldn’t be there…Get your money!” pic.twitter.com/mhhhLm9Wr0
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 4, 2025
Additionally, Jones described minicamp as worthless for veteran players. It’s a time for rookies to try and carve out a role on the team, not for veterans to prove themselves.
“Minicamp for the veterans is absolutely nothing. You sit over there by the coach, and you have conversations like that… You be like, ‘He would be a good backup for me, he’s a little shifty too’… Those are the conversations you’re having, you’re not really practicing,” Jones shared.
Being a former teammate of Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, Jones probably had a ton of fun and nonsensical conversations during minicamp. He also got to see what Brett Favre was like in camp for a season.
That said, it’ll be interesting to see what Parsons ultimately decides to do. The smart move would be to hold out and take the fines on the chin for missing mandatory camp in order to pressure Jerry Jones into giving him an extension. But it seems like he’s going to be there next week. The question is, how much will Parsons actually participate?
