Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons meets with owner Jerry Jones and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the NFC Wild Card game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys' Jerry Jones explains invisible 'agreement' with Micah Parsons

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Richie Whitt | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 10:53 AM ET

Jerry Jones is old-school. But in the latest bizarre twist to the Micah Parsons saga, the 82-year-old Dallas Cowboys owner would have you believe he was born before the inventions of ink pens and paper.

When discussing the star pass-rusher's contract dispute this week in Oxnard, California, Jones told reporters he thought a "deal was done" last March after a conversation with Parsons. When pressed for details, however, Jerry admitted nothing was drawn up as far as a contract.

Jones now wants us to believe that intangible agreements - a handshake, a nod, even a wink - are somehow legal and binding.

"I bought the Dallas Cowboys with a handshake," Jones said. "It took about 30 seconds. I gave the number, shook hands ... the details we worked out later. As a matter of fact, one of the details involved a lot of money and I had to flip a coin over that. But the fundamental, 'I'm buying and you're gonna sell it to me for that range,' that's done. And those are done with eye contact and handshake."

Making $140 million decisions (that's what Jones paid for the Cowboys and Texas Stadium in 1989) based on a coin flip seems odd, bordering on insane. But he's turned that investment into a franchise valued at more than $10 billion, so he's made more than a couple of decent choices along the way.

He also admits, thankfully, that a signed document is needed to finalize a contract. Therefore, Parsons is sitting out training practices and requesting a trade.

"Just so you understand the way that I communicate with people that a I negotiate with. Let's leave it at that," Jerry continued. "There's is no question that in the case of a player contract, you have to have it in writing. All parties do. We have a contract in writing, yet we're still talking about renegotiating, so so much for that."

To Jones' point, Parsons is under contract. Nothing old-school about that.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: