Why NFL writer thinks it's 'hard to believe' Cowboys would make this Micah Parsons move

As of the final Tuesday of August, the ongoing contract standoff involving pass-rusher Micah Parsons remained the biggest story hovering over the Dallas Cowboys heading into the 2025 NFL season.

Parsons went public with a trade request on Aug. 1, but Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has indicated he will hold onto the 26-year-old who is under contract through the upcoming campaign. For an article published on Tuesday, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated offered an updated prediction regarding how the Parsons-Cowboys saga will end. 

"I find it hard to believe that Jones will end up trading one of his star players, especially after watching his Netflix documentary," Manzano wrote while referencing the "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys" Netflix project. "Jones made it evident for the Netflix cameras that he’s all about money and marketing. Parsons checks all the boxes for the Jones family as a player who can generate sacks, eyeballs and dollars."

Jones recently generated headlines when he said that he will go out of his way "to get [the Cowboys] looked at" if he feels "we're not being looked at" by media outlets and other outsiders. Meanwhile, Parsons attracted plenty of attention when he spent time lying on a medical table during Dallas' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons this past Friday.

"It’s all about gaining leverage in this contract dispute, which is why Parsons made his trade request public and probably why he looked disinterested in the preseason finale," Manzano added. "Until a contract extension is worked out, expect more wild-card antics from Jones and Parsons, like a heated game of Uno between family members. Jones probably enjoys seeing Parsons adding more drama to this contract dispute. But don’t worry, Cowboys fans. Parsons will probably get his new deal days before the NFL regular-season opener against the Eagles. Jones will get to keep his star player after months of generating content and headlines for the marketing machine that is the Cowboys."

Both Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott had their unsettled contract situations drag out through the end of preseason play last summer. Lamb ultimately inked a four-year, $136M deal in late August, while Prescott eventually received a four-year extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed.

Cowboys teammates would love to see Parsons, who is also dealing with a back injury, resume practicing ahead of Dallas' Week 1 game at the Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4. However, he could soon be ruled out for that contest if his hold-in lasts through the Labor Day holiday weekend.