OXNARD, Calif. – Jerry almost said.
Almost, but stopped just short of what I was thinking before this annual training camp opening press conference began out here out on a mostly overcast Monday when the sun barely shined.
Yep, Jerry Jones was on stage, along with Stephen Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer, with Tad Carper, senior vice president of communications, directing the near hour-long Q&A. He was alternately all business, funny, but darn well knew what was coming, first and foremost, almost ad nauseam during this session.
Micah Parsons and his contract extension.
And please, let me make this perfectly clear. It's an extension. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option worth a guaranteed $24 million. Parsons is under contract.
Gosh, was hoping Jerry would have just come out to say, we really don't need to sign him to a multi-year contract with like a $40 million to $50 million signing bonus he can put in the bank tomorrow.
Yet he sparred with the media, saying if they pay Micah the kind of money and guaranteed money these other defensive ends are receiving, he wants to be assured of that player showing leadership. Hanging with his teammates. Not choosing, as he did so many times last year during the opening stretch period of practice, to be off to the side with Trevon Diggs, sort of doing their own thing.
Jerry would point out how he hasn't spoken with Micah's agent, David Mulugheta. That their lead contract guy, Adam Prasifka, has. That he himself only talks to the principles, i.e. the players. He would also say that when paying out the big money Parsons likely is asking for, "I'm big into showing anything you can do that shows leadership, if you are going to make that kind of money."
So Jerry came close, close to saying what maybe he should have when continually being be peppered with why do the Cowboys drag out these negotiations with star players to the very last moment? Referring to CeeDee Lamb last year, having missed all of training camp, and also Dak Prescott, though having participated in camp.
Yet Jones played the savvy negotiator, not wanting to incite the situation.
But he came close at the end, during the walk-off when answering questions off stage while surrounded by a huge group of media members. This came when was asked if he feels any sense of urgency to get this extension done as soon as possible so that Parsons, who was here at camp on Monday, would not stage a hold-in starting Tuesday by potentially not participating in practices.
"I don't have that," Jerry said in reference to "urgency."
And why should he? He knows Parsons is under contract. He also probably reasons if this "hold-in" stretches into the start of the season, Parsons would be forfeiting his per-game active bonus worth right at $58,000 a game, totaling $1 million if active for all 17 games.
So who really has the urgency to get this done?
Also, no one knows a very important factor in these negotiations:
How much is Parsons asking for?
We don't. That certainly hasn't been revealed on Parson's part nor leaked by his agent. The readily assumption is since T.J. Watt just signed for a non-quarterback average high of $41 million then that's what Parsons expects to receive.
But heck, if I'm the agent, that's likely what I would settle for, but by golly I'm asking for more just in case the Cowboys want to pay more. But how much would reasonably be more? How much is guaranteed? How much is the signing bonus? See, if this were just Jerry's money, he'd spend it, but it's not. It's the Cowboys salary-cap money, and he and Stephen know they've got big contracts coming up next year for Tyler Smith's fifth-year option ($21 million) and a lucrative deal to re-sign former fifth-round cornerback DaRon Bland.
For this contract conundrum to be settled, this can't be a one-way street as most are suggesting. Both sides must concede some. By the way, if Parsons should play this season on the guaranteed $24 million, the Cowboys for next year could franchise him at a 20 percent raise for $28.8, assuming he does remain healthy.
But going those routes, Parsons is paid 1/18th weekly instead of depositing a huge signing bonus in the bank with multi-year guarantees. This is what happens when you are under contract.
And this as close as Jerry came to emphasizing Parsons is under contract.
"When you are under contract, and one of the things that acerbates this is that you have kind of a policy or a practice to have contracts but to have some kind of obligation to do something before the contract is over," Jerry said. "OK, in other words, not have the benefit of the contract. That goes completely against the benefit of the club, which ultimately should be to put a winning team on the field.
"And the more you can husband, the more that you can spread it out and put it around to have other good players rather than all going to a few players, the better team you got. So there are a lot of reasons, timing is a lot of reason. So why would you go out and basically spend money just to spend money and not of had to spend it – you could spend it three years later. Money costs money."
There, he nearly said it again.
