OXNARD, Calif. — The news hit the sports world like a Mike Tyson punch in 1988. Micah Parsons, the all-world edge rusher for the Dallas Cowboys, took to social media to express his frustrations with the contract negotiation process to this point, punctuating the emotional message with a formal trade request that had already been delivered to the front office.
One day later, head coach Brian Schottenheimer and owner and general manager Jerry Jones stepped in front of cameras and media to react to the news, the latter being hardened by decades of tough, and at times, contentious, contract talks with some of the biggest names in the NFL — then and now.
"This is a negotiation," said Jones. "Does it blow me up? Somebody to say, 'Look, trade me.' That's just not a flare sign for me at all in any way."
He then went on to explain his feelings for Parsons, and that they've not changed.
"I know my attitude, and mine is the same one that I've had," said Jones. "I love Micah and I think he is an outstanding player, and he can really help us, but he's gotta fit in with what's in the best interest of the team; and that's what a negotiation is all about.
"...I'm here and I do what I do because I love these guys," he said. "Frankly, I could be anyplace in the world. I wanna be right here in camp. I enjoy these players. I enjoy Micah. As always, in any relationship, there's different moods and different times. That's what this is.
"Don't lose any sleep over it. That's one thing I would say to our fans: don't lose any sleep."
Truth be told, prior to the last several weeks, the two were bosom buds, as Parsons often proclaimed.
As noted, it's not the first contentious round of negotiations for the Cowboys, some recently notable ones including Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence, CeeDee Lamb and future Hall of Fame lineman Zack Martin, and then there are those from yesteryear — e.g., the rift that occurred between the Cowboys and eventual Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith.
All mentioned were eventually signed to record-setting deals.
Smith went on to miss two games before the deal was struck, and kumbaya instantly returned.
Time will tell if it takes that long for this situation to be resolved, but Jones, as he notes, is not interested in letting the emotion of the moment determine how he handles it.
"I wouldn't even be standing here with you if I didn't think we potentially have a great future with Micah," he said. "We're in good shape. This is a negotiation."
