by: Alex Byington 54 minutes ago _AlexByington
With the start of the 2025 NFL season just a week away, the ongoing and often contentious contract dispute between Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and superstar linebacker Micah Parsons is nearing a critical juncture. Will Jones adhere to Parsons’ request to negotiate in good faith with his agent, or will Parsons succumb to the pressure of ownership and play out the final year of his current deal?
Former NFL MVP quarterback Cam Newton expects to see the latter happen because, as Newton sees it, the Cowboys’ 26-year-old All-Pro linebacker has no leverage. At least unless he stands on “bidness” and calls Jones’ bluff by actually sitting out regular-season NFL games, thus costing himself game checks.
“The thing is this, I don’t think Micah Parson has leverage. I don’t think he has leverage,” Newton said on Thursday’s First Take on ESPN. “What Jerry Jones has shown himself to be in an unbelievable businessman. He has the most profitable sports organization in the world. In the world. … Well, Jerry Jones has shown his hand. On the Stephen A. Show, he said: ‘We’ve got (Parsons) for three years,’ meaning, we can franchise tag you for two of those years. You’re still under contract this year if we really want to be petty.
“We’ve seen what Jerry Jones is capable of doing. We’ve seen it with Emmitt Smith, we’ve seen it with Ezekiel Elliott, we’ve seen it with a plethora of players,” Newton continued. “Now the question really comes down to: Micah Parson, do you got it in you to really stand on bidness as we call it? Because if you hold out, cool. Now, the thing about holding out is it still comes down to the number one key in all of business: what’s your leverage? And I don’t think Micah Parsons has a lot of leverage in this case to demand what he’s asking for.”