“You’re Playing With Micah Parsons’ Livelihood”: Stephen A. Smith Is “Disgusted” With Jerry Jones

The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons’ relationship has deteriorated quickly. In his trade request posted on Twitter recently, he talked about wanting to distance himself from the annoyances the team has caused… like cornering him into a contract discussion without his agent present, throwing him under the bus to the media for being injured, and creating narratives about him.

That’s pretty much everything Parsons has had to endure this offseason. He’s been toyed with by Jerry Jones, and he, the fans, and analysts aren’t happy about it. The owner/GM has turned into public enemy #1 as the football community has ripped into him recently for his negotiation tactics. Jones has been called everything from “rich and out of touch” to the “worst owner in sports.”

One of those analysts not too happy with Jones is Stephen A. Smith. The famed commentator is usually laughing at players like Parsons on the Cowboys. But this time, he sided with the star edge rusher and called out the man running the show in Dallas.

“You’re playing with this man’s future, you’re playing with this man’s livelihood, in terms of Micah Parsons,” Stephen A. said on First Take.

“Yes, he’s under contract. But the reality is that you know what this man deserves. You’ve had an idea about it, and you’re playing these games.”

According to Parsons, he approached the team about a contract extension last offseason. So, it shouldn’t come as news to Jones that he wants one this year. A lucrative, market-setting deal should’ve been planned and set up in advance. But it doesn’t seem like that was ever considered.

Stephen A. then said that he’s been disgusted by the way Jones has handled negotiations with Parsons. “Why am I so disgusted with Jerry Jones about this? Because of the things that I’ve heard,” the analyst stated.

He immediately expanded on this, talking about how Jones reportedly cut off Parsons’ agents’ role in negotiations.

“Do y’all know he hasn’t spoken to Micah Parsons’ agent? You’re treating it like the discussions you had months ago with Micah Parsons was a negotiation. It wasn’t a negotiation… Was anything memorialized? Was anything firmly and definitively agreed upon by the parties that be? Normally, you’re sending the player away because you want to talk to their representation,” Stephen A. professed.

They’re surprisingly good points that Stephen A. made. Usually, he gets carried away and ends up trolling the Dallas fanbase, which makes his arguments fall flat behind prejudice against the team. Yet, these were level-headed criticisms that he was preaching about the Cowboys’ messy handling of Parsons’ future.

Stephen A. then ended his monologue by stating that Jones might be trying to take advantage of Parsons. “Jerry Jones knows better. Which usually means you’re trying to take advantage of that young man. And I think that is the story that is not being talked about enough.”

It’s another great point. Why else would Jones personally meet with Parsons if not to sign him to a discounted deal? After all, it’s not like the Cowboys’ star defender is a specialist in negotiating contracts. He focuses on producing on the field, while his agent, David Mulugheta, handles the negotiations off it. Which, by the way, is how almost every professional athlete manages their business.

All in all, it’s been a clear case of mismanagement by Jones. And Stephen A. promptly roasted the owner for his decision-making. We truly wonder how Dallas managed to mess this up so badly. Parsons was a player who was practically begging to stay with the team. But now, unless a blockbuster contract is coming his way, he could very well be sporting a different jersey come Week 1.

Perhaps that’s the most confusing part about Jones’ negotiating tactics: the longer he waits to sign Parsons, the higher his price goes. Despite whatever he may think, that’s exactly what has happened throughout this offseason. It feels like an emotional decision to ignore Parsons, and it’s playing right into the players’ hands. Overall, it just screams bad management.