One-time Super Bowl champion rips 'attention-seeking' Cowboys amid Micah Parsons contract standoff

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones generated numerous sports headlines when he said at a recent event that he will do his part "to get [the Cowboys] looked at" if he feels "we're not being looked at" by media outlets. 

During Thursday's edition of ESPN's "First Take" program, former NFL defensive lineman and one-time Super Bowl champion Chris Canty addressed what the Cowboys are and aren't amid their ongoing contract standoff involving star pass-rusher Micah Parsons. 

"They are playing a different game than the other 31 teams in the National Football League because they are in the attention-seeking business, not the Lombardi-chasing business," Canty said about the Cowboys, as shared by Kyle Koster of Sports Illustrated. "That needs to be clear. That needs to be obvious."

For an article published on Aug. 12, ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted that Jones has cost himself quite a bit of money and caused unnecessary drama by waiting to pay star players. In 2024, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb received a four-year, $136M deal in late August after Dallas had played its final game of the preseason. The following month, outsiders learned about the four-year contract extension handed to quarterback Dak Prescott only hours before Dallas' regular-season opener on Sept. 8. 

As for Parsons, he went public with a trade request on Aug. 1 after T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers reset the market for the players at the position when he accepted a three-year, $123M extension that included $108M guaranteed ahead of training camp. Even before Jones reminded outsiders on Wednesday that Parsons is under contract through the 2025 campaign, some suggested that the 26-year-old could be serious about wanting to get away from the "attention-seeking" Cowboys this summer. 

"The Dallas Cowboys are for entertainment purposes only," Canty added during the segment. "Before the Cowboys come on the TV, before we see their games, you know, when they show the NFL branding, they need to have a warning label come on the TV screen."

It seems like Canty is among those who believe Jones will drag the Parsons saga out through Dallas' preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 22. One can only guess if Parsons and Jones will come to an agreement before Dallas opens the regular season with a prime-time matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4.