At the Fanatics Fest event in New York City Sunday, Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons went viral for his response to NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s push for him to join his beloved Washington Commanders “two years from now”.
“Yo … I only rock with Dan Quinn,” Parsons said. “You know what I mean?”
We hear you, Micah. But there could be layers to his quote.
His thoughts about the Commanders? Maybe.
A message to the Cowboys? Definitely.
Parsons remains in the midst of an offseason-long contract negotiation, which expects to end with him signing an extension in the neighborhood of what CowboysCountry.com reports to be $200 million over five years ($40 million APY).
Micah has done his part. Now it’s up to owner Jerry Jones to contact agent David Mulugheta and meet to settle the terms … but that has not happened yet.
Parsons is a savvy guy when it comes to the media. He’s got over a year of experience in the podcast world, knows how to answer interview questions and often stays unfiltered on social media.
And he knows what type of comments will initiate urgency.
KD lobbing a light-hearted idea about Micah joining his hometown team gets the fans riled up online …
But Micah’s response? That’s intended for nobody other than Jerry himself.
“Rocking with” a rival coach without any denial of switching teams could be interpreted as an incendiary message intended to ruffle the feathers of the Dallas front office and jumpstart some progress toward a contract.
Nobody knows how to generate attention in the media quite like Jerry Jones. His marketing genius is a strong factor in how he built the Cowboys into the world’s most powerful sports empire.
Now it’s Micah conducting business this way.
All signs points to Parsons wanting to stay in Dallas and be the vocal point of the defense for years to come, if not his entire career. But at this stage in the offseason and his negotiation, it’s not a surprise if he feels some frustration.
The Jones have made a routine of moving at a crawling pace during major contract talks. Take CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott’s situations last offseason as examples.
Parsons hasn’t done a holdout, but has taken things slow in minicamp practices. He wants to be there for his teammates and accept his heightened leadership role.
This subtle remark could be just enough to get Jerry’s attention.
A nudge. Or a reminder that he’s still waiting, and isn’t afraid to say something about it.
More than anything, Parsons wants to get this weight off his shoulders so that he can put the pedal to the metal at training camp.
Micah saw firsthand how the game was played during Dak and CeeDee’s negotiations.
With camp – typically serving as an “imaginary deadline” in these types of things – now under a month away, this could be Parsons taking matters into his own hands and playing the game back.
