Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones continues to play with fire as the ongoing contract saga with superstar Micah Parsons continues to drag out. Parsons wants to be paid, Jerry has no urgency, and a trade request was made.

That’s where we stand entering the second game of the 2025 NFL preseason, and there is no end in sight.

ESPN’s Todd Archer shared his latest update on the situation on Wednesday, and there is once again very little progress on a deal between the two sides. Both sides are clearly standing their ground, which makes everything messier than it needs to be.

To be fair, Parsons has acted in good faith and has shown up to minicamp and training camp, while Jerry Jones plays his tired games and continues to drag his feet.

“At the start of camp, Parsons said he was dealing with back tightness, and last week he was getting treatment. It was notable when he did not wear his practice jersey after making the trade request,” Archer wrote. “That’s as big of an indicator as you’re going to get in these hold-in situations.

“There have been no substantive discussions from the two sides at all, and it appears the Cowboys are at least willing to open the season with Parsons playing on the fifth-year option. After that? There is always the possibility of using the franchise tag on Parsons in 2026.”

Jones’ lack of urgency is concerning. Not only has it made the relationship between the player and organization unnecessarily contentious, it raises concerns about whether Parsons will suit up for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles without a deal.

So far, Parsons has done everything right and acted in good faith. If the Cowboys can’t offer him a reasonable deal before Week 1, we’ll see just how serious he is about the trade request if he decides to sit out and miss game checks.