OXNARD, Calif. — Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott paused for 14 seconds before answering a question about the contract hold-in of edge rusher Micah Parsons on Thursday.
Prescott has never performed a holdout or hold-in for a new contract, but when he signed his four-year $240 million deal with $231 million guaranteed featuring an NFL-high $60 million average salary, he didn’t get it until the morning of the 2024 season opener.
So if anyone knows something about waiting on a new contract, it’s Prescott. He’s done it twice.
And it seems the Cowboys are always in a contract dispute with some player.
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“I mean, it’s an every year conversation,” Prescott said. “Whether it’s myself, Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, now Micah Parsons. It’s part of it in a sense. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish anyone was going through. Absolutely not.”
Last year, Lamb held out before getting his contract extension and Prescott also got his new deal. But the previous year, Zack Martin held out to get a raise.
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So this is the third consecutive year the Cowboys have encountered a holdout with a star player.
Parsons, over holding out, is holding in, attending practices and meetings while waiting for a new deal.
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“I think Micah is doing a helluva job with being here,” Prescott said. “He’s a great teammate, he shows up, not just on the practice field and being focused, being the camaraderie [with the players], [going to] dinner. He’s not just doing it to sign off and say ‘Hey, Jerry, look at me.’ He wants to be out there practicing and honestly I’m glad he’s not. He can’t do that to himself.”
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Lamb said you can’t win a war of words with team owner Jerry Jones, something Parsons is involved in at this stage of training camp. Lamb held out but expressed himself to co-owner Stephen Jones last year in private when he heard about a contract request he didn’t ask for.
Parsons has said for Jones to call his agent to get the process going. But that hasn’t occurred yet.
“That’s the business of it,” Prescott said. “That’s the business of a holdout. I think he’s taking some great steps in being here. I don’t know if there’s a correct way to handle it, to be honest with you. I will say that, I think he deserves to get paid. He should get paid and ultimately, going off the history from what I’ve seen, he will get paid. Hopefully it’s sooner than later.”
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Twitter: @calvinwatkins
Related StoriesRead MoreWhat we know about Micah Parsons’ contract negotiations with Dallas CowboysParsons wants to stay. The Cowboys want to keep their premier defender. Will a deal get done?Cowboys camp observations: Malik Hooker’s one-handed INT, CeeDee Lamb’s near scuffle, moreFollow along for highlights from Cowboys training camp practice in Oxnard.
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