Micah Parsons makes feelings on Cowboys future clear amid trade rumors

Dallas Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones did a bit of damage control on Monday when he insisted that the team's "goal" is to hang onto Micah Parsons on a "long-term" basis.

During the latest edition of his "The Edge with Micah Parsons" podcast, the star pass-rusher made it known he believes Stephen Jones and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones are committed to holding onto his services beyond the end of the 2024 season. 

"Y’all know I’m going to be a Cowboy for life," Parsons said, as shared by The Dallas Morning News. "We’re going to figure out a way for me to be a Cowboy for life and I think Jerry and Stephen see it that way, too." 

Trade rumors regarding Parsons, who is currently set to play next season on the fifth-year option attached to his rookie contract, popped up earlier this fall when Dallas was in the middle of what became a five-game losing streak. 

However, the story took an interesting turn when Stephen Jones seemed to suggest via comments made to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport last week that the Cowboys could be open to at least accepting calls about Parsons' availability after the club signed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott to contract extensions earlier this year. 

Parsons initially reacted to Stephen Jones' original statement by saying he understood "how that business side goes" and has "no hard feelings in this business whether I’m here or anywhere else." After Stephen Jones clarified his stance, Parsons indicated that he's optimistic about the team's future even though it seems the 6-8 Cowboys will fall short of earning a playoff berth. 

As of Tuesday morning, the NFL's website gave Dallas less than a 1 percent chance to qualify for the postseason tournament. 

"I think we got the pieces man," Parsons said during the podcast, per Luke Perez of 247Sports. Parsons added that the Cowboys want to "finish this year so good" with head coach Mike McCarthy in the final season of his contract. 

On Tuesday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Cowboys as four-point underdogs for the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" home game versus the 8-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It remains to be seen how much McCarthy's players will fight for him if Dallas gets eliminated from the playoffs before Week 18.