Cowboys’ Dak Prescott confident in former Penn State star finding contract solution

Cowboys’ Dak Prescott confident in former Penn State star finding contract solution originally appeared on The Sporting News

The relationship between former Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons and the professional team he plays for, the Dallas Cowboys, has grown increasingly tumultuous as the offseason has gone along.

On Aug. 1, Parsons took things to another level by requesting a trade in a lengthy statement he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioned "Thank you Dallas," followed by a string of emojis.

Both Parsons' status for the Cowboys' season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 and his future with the team remain uncertain, though Cowboys ownership believe it to be a matter not worth worrying about at the current moment.

"That's just the nature of negotiations. I think any player that's holding out for a contract right now – I think I've read around the league where they've all requested to be traded. So that's part of it," Jones said in an interview with DallasCowboys.com's Nick Etaman on Aug. 6. "We have no intention of trading Micah. He's right here in camp. And we'll just keep working."

Contract disputes are nothing new with the Cowboys organization, as a number of franchise legends (Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith) and recent stars (CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott and Zack Martin) have engaged in contentious negotiations during Jerry Jones' tenure as the team's owner, president and general manager.

Dak Prescott is another notable name who engaged in new contract talks with the Cowboys as recently as last season. While Prescott never went as far as publicly demanding a trade, he empathizes with Parsons' situation and firmly believes a solution can be found.

"It was just frustration that this is going on. I can say from experience that it's just frustrating," Prescott told DallasCowboys.com's Tommy Yarrish. "I hate that he's going through it, but as I've told him, keep handling things the way that you are, and I believe that he should be paid.

"I've got faith in the Joneses and the team as I do in Micah and his team."

No signs have indicated that Parsons and the Cowboys have gotten closer to an agreement, but the four-time Pro Bowler would represent a significant loss to the team's defense should he miss regular-season games or leave in a trade.