Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed questions on Micah Parsons’ availability for Week 1 amid an ongoing contract dispute. Schottenheimer said he is confident the star pass rusher will play in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, regardless of whether a contract extension is reached by then.
“I feel good that Micah will be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Schottenheimer told reporters Wednesday.
Parsons, who has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times, is seeking a new deal as he enters the last year of his rookie contract. The relationship between Parsons and Cowboys management has shown signs of strain during this offseason. ESPN’s Adam Schefter commented Tuesday on his podcast that “You can’t get a deal done if you’re not even talking, and the two sides haven’t had any negotiations since late March or early April, and it sounds like at this point it’s personal.”
When Cowboys training camp opened earlier in the summer, Dallas owner Jerry Jones made public remarks about Parsons’ absence due to missed games last season. Parsons responded via social media: “Unfortunately I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates… I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Earlier this month, Jones expressed less confidence than Schottenheimer regarding Parsons’ potential participation in Week 1 against the Eagles. When asked about his confidence in Parsons playing, Jones replied: “No, absolutely not (… ) A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that? I’m just saying. No, but I’m urgent. … We will work through it or we will not work through it.”
