Troy Aikman gives his verdict on Micah Parsons’ Cowboys standoff… and predicts how Dallas will do next season

Cowboys legend Troy Aikman has declared that Micah Parsons is ‘worth every penny that he’s ultimately going to get paid’ as the edge rusher continues to seek a fresh long-term deal.

Parsons requested a trade this summer amid a tense contract standoff, with the two-time All-Pro seeking a significant raise for his next deal (his rookie contract will expire after he plays out his $21.3million fifth-year option in 2025). He has been sitting out of practices citing a back injury.

And while Dallas owner Jerry Jones has seemingly played hardball with the talented defender, Aikman believes Parsons has ‘leverage’ in negotiations.

‘His leverage is that they can’t win without him,’ Aikman said during the Monday night preseason game between the Commanders and Bengals on ESPN.

He added moments later: ‘I do think the Cowboys are gonna be better than what a lot of people project.’

The Cowboys’ win total has been set at 7.5 by sportsbooks in Vegas – a number which Aikman sees his ex-team doing ‘much better’ than.

Still, he doesn’t see them being truly competitive without Parsons in the lineup. 

‘I like what [coach] Brian Schottenheimer has shown in training camp and going into the year, and they’ve got some things that I like about the team in general,’ he said. 

‘But without Micah Parsons, I just don’t think they’re gonna be able to slow anybody down. 

Aikman later added that he expects the Cowboys to get a deal done with Parsons, but admitted: ‘I don’t think anybody knows what Jerry [Jones] is ever gonna do,’ as Parsons continues to be linked with a trade out of Dallas.

While it’s not exactly clear what Parsons is seeking contractually, he previously spoke about ‘guaranteeing somebody almost $200million.’

The defensive standout is negotiating for a new deal following big paydays for fellow pass rushers T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, which will pay each of them at least $40million on average per year.

And Aikman expressed on Monday that he believes Parsons’ price will only go up the longer the Cowboys take to strike a deal with him. 

In a statement posted to social media, Parsons acknowledged that he and Jones previously discussed what he would want in his contract, but said he didn’t believe it was a ‘formal negotiation.’

He added that the team has not had discussions with his agent, David Mulugheta, once about a deal.

Jones, meanwhile, has previously downplayed Parsons’ trade request and urged fans not to ‘lose any sleep’ over the situation. 

When asked whether he was considering Parsons’ trade request, the Dallas owner said: ‘I’m not. The facts are that I think the world of Micah, and that’s just a part of negotiation.

‘I don’t place that with any real seriousness, Micah’s got a bad back. That’s like being traded, we all weight it the same.’

Dallas is just over two weeks from opening up its season at the Eagles on September 4.