The Dallas Cowboys are dominating the NFL news cycle as the Micah Parsons saga continues at the start of preseason.
Eyebrows were raised when it was learned that Parsons wasn't spotted on the practice field on Thursday for the first time since the star pass-rusher in the final year of his rookie deal requested a trade on Aug. 1.
However, ESPN's Todd Archer then revealed that Parsons was dealing with back tightness and receiving treatment during the team's workout.
Following the session, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott addressed whether or not he has thought about not having Parsons as a teammate during the upcoming season.
"No, not necessarily," Prescott responded, as shared by Jon Machota of The Athletic. "I think if I wouldn’t have been in his shoes, and watched other guys be in his shoes and get rewarded, maybe. But I’ve got faith in the Joneses and the team as I do in Micah and his team. Eleven is a Cowboy."
As of Friday morning, there remained no indication that Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones would trade Parsons before Dallas opens the upcoming campaign with a matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4. Meanwhile, Prescott was referencing how he, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and others previously received extensions from the Cowboys late into the summer months.
Last year, word that Prescott had agreed to a deal went public just hours before the Cowboys' Week 1 game.
That said, it appears that "at least five or six teams" are waiting to pounce if Parsons makes it known he'd rather forfeit money by sitting regular-season contests out than play on his current contract. Nevertheless, Prescott seems confident the Parsons-Jones relationship isn't broken beyond repair.
"At the end of the day, it is business," Prescott added during his comments. "We can’t make something business personal. I think when you do that, that’s where the division comes. … Once that business deal happens, you can move forward."
The Cowboys close the preseason with a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 22. History shows Parsons may not put pen to paper on a lucrative extension that likely will make him the new highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL until after that game wraps up.
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