In typical contract negotiation some members of the Cowboys believe tearing down their best defensive player is the best way to gain leverage.

When a company has a dominant player on their squad, they are sometimes forced to seek common ground on future contract extensions. Most teams do not criticize a player’s character while they are still on the roster.

Then there’s the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys, led mostly by the Jerry Jones family, have also discovered ways to “leak” grievances about specific players when it comes time to award contracts in order to recover some leverage. Dallas accomplished it with former wide receiver Dez Bryant, current quarterback Dak Prescott, and is now doing it with Micah Parsons.

Just this week, insiders within the organization informed Shan Shariff of 105.3 The Fan that Parsons’ antics have “worn thin” with some.

“I have heard from far too many individuals this offseason. I’m talking about at least four separate people [telling me] Micah has worn thin there,” Shariff remarked on Friday.

By the way, do not shoot the messenger here. Shariff’s role is to gather and spread information. It is the Cowboys’ obligation to be aware of what those in control are saying to the media. And these are not wise words to say.

In his first three seasons with the Cowboys, Parsons had at least 10 sacks (40.5 total) and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year each year. He has also been named to the first team All-Pro twice. Despite the strong numbers and a looming contract extension, the Cowboys believe the time has come to question if their defensive superstar is truly worth the trouble…apparently.

In his spare time, Parsons hosts the podcast “The Edge” and recently participated in the NBA’s Celebrity All-Star Game. Since entering the NFL, the Penn State product has been an opinionated yet dominant player across the league. He may be overly opinionated, as everyone from Michael Irvin to our own Mike Fisher has pointed out around The Star.

Despite this… Normally, a team would do everything in its power to re-sign a top player like this… and would say the proper things in public to further that goal. In fact, the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas’ main competitor with its own documented dysfunctional troubles, moved quickly to re-sign both Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata. DeVonta Smith, drafted one round ahead of Parsons, is also expected to sign an extension.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, are all about dragging their feet and using leverage. They look to be willing to alienate their finest overall player in order to achieve this. Finally, it reveals the organization’s actual dysfunctional colors.