'They're no closer to a deal' - Micah Parsons saga gets concerning update that makes it very clear what the Cowboys need to do

We are 17 days away from the Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles matchup that will kick off the 2025 NFL regular season.

And still, superstar defender Micah Parsons has yet to practice as he and the Cowboys' front office continue to navigate a complicated contract saga that produced a trade request earlier in August. I use the word "saga" and not "negotiations" because according to NFL insider Adam Schefter, both sides haven't even talked since the spring.

"It is different [to Dak Prescott's and CeeDee Lamb's negotiations]," Schefter said on ESPN Monday morning. It's gotten personal and they're no closer to a deal and there's no reas on to think that the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons will be able to work out a deal before the start of the regular season."

The update, albeit unsurprising, is an important one. The Cowboys have left Oxnard, California, and will continue their preparation for the regular season at the team's headquarters at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Though that could be interpreted as an opportunity to speed things up, it means nothing until the two sides decide to speak.

Which brings me to this: It's obvious what the Cowboys need to do and it's baffling why they haven't done it yet. It's time to completely forget about the conversation they had with Parsons back in March and invite the defender's agent, David Mulugheta, to chat.

For those who missed it, let's do a quick recap: The Cowboys claim Parsons agreed to the numbers for a deal back in March. The latter's version is he engaged in a back-and-forth but that his agent wasn't there and he didn't consider it a negotiation. Per Parsons, he instructed the front office to reach out to Mulugheta. When the latter did, the team's version was that a deal was pretty much in place.

Based on everything that's happened so far, that's one of the biggest reasons why it's gotten "personal," as Schefter reports. But the Cowboys must be the grown ups here and look in the mirror to admit the obvious: Even if Parsons did agree to certain numbers earlier in the year, they have to admit leaving the agent out was always an intentional play to get a bargain price. It wasn't exactly "fair" from the get go.

"Now again it's August 18th and sides always could come together," Schefter added on Monday. "But we want to emphasize, there have been zero, zero contract negotiations since late March and early April."

According to the Cowboys themselves, they haven't reached out to Mulugheta all these months. What are they waiting for? It truly appears to be the one thing keeping them from having their best player gear up for the season.