The summer of 2025 could define the remainder of Micah Parsons’ NFL career.

While Jerry Jones receives the full Hollywood treatment on Netflix, his Dallas Cowboys are predicted to win just seven games this season and continue a Super Bowl drought that dates back to 1995.

Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler entering his athletic prime, has publicly called out the Cowboys and demanded a trade.

“I no longer want to be here,” Parsons tweeted on August 1.

Three weeks later, he’s still on the Cowboys’ roster.

But NFL Insider Dan Graziano exclusively told talkSPORT that the relationship has only become worse between Parsons and Jones.

“This is a weird situation because it’s got personal somehow,” Graziano said.

Trey Hendrickson is battling with the Cincinnati Bengals for a new contract, and that tense stalemate has dominated NFL news in recent days.

But the spat between Parsons and the Cowboys has been building for more than a year, and Graziano said that the two sides are “stuck” after one party felt like an agreement was broken.

“For some reason, Jerry Jones seems very angry,” Graziano said.

“He really feels like they had a deal agreed to in March, and that Micah effectively went back on it when he said, ‘I got to talk to my agent’ –which is ridiculous. That’s what any player in that situation should say.”

The Cowboys were one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, ranking 31st in average points allowed (27.5) and 28th in yards (355.2).

Jones and Parsons are heading towards a split
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Dak Prescott received a historic $240m contract extension but had to wait for it[/caption]
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CeeDee Lamb, left, was rewarded with a $136m contract extension by the Cowboys[/caption]

Keeping Parsons in a Cowboys uniform seems essential for a franchise with a rookie head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, and coming off a 7-10 record that led to the departure of veteran HC Mike McCarthy.

But Jones has publicly admitted the Cowboys are sometimes more of a reality TV show than a real football team, and nothing is shocking when it comes to Dallas and drawn-out big contracts.

“They’re still insistent that they won’t trade him,” Graziano said.

“He’s got one year left on his contract, and then they can franchise him in (20)26, and they could franchise him in (20)27 if it came to that. That’s the stance the Cowboys are taking.

Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb — all these others that have happened in the last couple of years with the Cowboys — they always got done at the end and everybody always felt like they were, but this one’s strange.

“It may be because the player is a little different and he’s more sort of outspoken … in terms of saying what’s on his mind than a lot of players have been.”

The Cowboys drafted Parsons at No. 12 overall in 2021 and helped him develop into one of the NFL’s most versatile defenders.

Drama in Big D

Micah Parsons bio

Age: 26
Position: EDGE rusher, linebacker
College: Penn State
Vitals: 6ft 3in 245lb
Career stats: 256 tackles, 52.5 sacks, 112 QB hits, 9 forced fumbles, 4 recoveries
Honors: Pro Bowls (4), All-Pro (2), Defensive Rookie of the Year
Earnings: $17 million

Parsons could be traded if he stands his ground — he also could receive a massive $200 million deal if he remains in Dallas, and become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

The former Penn State star has remained around the team since his trade demand, and it’s uncertain where the Cowboys’ latest contract drama is heading two weeks before the 2025 NFL season opener against the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles in Philadelphia.

“If a team calls, the Cowboys’ answer basically is, ‘We’re not trading him,’ ” Graziano said.

“And the team says, ‘Alright, well, if something changes, keep us in mind.’ The Cowboys are taking the position that they expect him to show up and play, because he’s under contract.

“If he doesn’t — if he’s willing to sit out real games — then I think the leverage swings back toward him a little bit, and maybe you can force the Cowboys to do something they’re not comfortable with contract-wise or consider a trade.”

Jones’ net worth is $16.1 billion, according to Forbes.

The Cowboys’ $12.8bn valuation, according to Sportico, makes them the richest sports franchise in the world.

The only way that Parsons gains real leverage vs the Cowboys is by missing real NFL games — and making his fractured relationship with Jones even worse.

“Right now, the Cowboys have to be 100 percent convinced he’s willing to do that,” Graziano said.

“And the only way to convince the team you’re willing to do that is to actually do it.”

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