Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer praised linebacker Micah Parsons for participating in the first week of the team’s annual OTA sessions. For the second week, Parsons wasn’t present.
Yes, the workouts are voluntary. And, no, Parsons shouldn’t volunteer to risk injury until he gets the long-term contract he should have gotten a year ago.
The Cowboys continue to misplay the situation. They drag their feet. And the price goes up. And the player is less prepared when it’s time to go play games that count.
It’s a ridiculous way of doing business. But the Cowboys keep repeating the pattern.
It became obvious last year, when the Cowboys were on the front end of (again) waiting too long and then paying too much for receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott. Cowboys management is clueless when it comes to managing young talent.
If they would have paid Parsons last year, it would have cost a lot less than $40 million per year. If they would have paid Parsons immediately after the end of the season, the deal likely would have been closer to $35 million than $45 million. Now, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has set a new bar. Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt could push it higher before Parsons puts pen to paper.
Regardless, the price will keep going up. And Parsons won’t be as ready for the regular season as he could have been.
Especially if the foot dragging lasts into camp and Parsons holds out and the Cowboys eventually and inevitably cave as Week 1 approaches.
There are many reasons why the Cowboys have gone 30 years without an appearance in the NFC Championship. One very real reason is the chronic stubbornness of owner Jerry Jones to pay his core players sooner than later.
Our guess? He knows it. And he’d rather have the latest unsettled contract become the top story for sports media than to see his team benefit from the relative irrelevance of peace.
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