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Jerry Jones Says ‘Pay Micah’ Chants Weren’t Very Loud

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 10: Quarterback Dak Prescott #4 and team owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys hug each other during pregame warm ups prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on August 10, 2019 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones addressed fans before practice on Saturday and that appearance featured shouted pleas to pay Micah Parsons. It’s the latest development in the ongoing negotiations between the team and the star linebacker, who could become a free agent if not extended. Jones, flanked by cheerleaders, had to stop his speech as the outburst died down and there were some boos mixed in.

None of this is entirely surprising. And neither is Jones downplaying the ferocity of the “Pay Micah” crowd.

“I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, ‘Pay Lamb [last year],'” Jones said, bringing up last year’s saga with CeeDee Lamb. “That was a faint little sound compared to the way they were hollering last year, ‘Pay Lamb.’ … Whoever’s not in, you can count on a few hollering that. But it was a big loud chant last year on Lamb.”

The Cowboys eventually signed Lamb to a $136 million contract in late August after the Cowboys returned to The Star in Frisco, Texas, from their summer home in Oxnard.

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Jones was asked if there was an update on the Parsons talks after the organization signed tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year contract worth up to $52 million on Sunday.

“Really I don’t have anything to comment there at all,” Jones said. “Just no comment.”

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys would keep all Parsons discussions “in-house.” But he, too, heard the fans Saturday.

“It doesn’t change anything,” he said. “We want to pay Micah, too. He’s got to want to be paid, too.”

The Cowboys’ talk with Ferguson intensified not long before training camp, before coming to an agreement Saturday night on a deal that includes $30 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus.

“People say, ‘Oh, there’s other spots you could go,'” Ferguson said. “I remember sitting down, [thinking], ‘I remember sitting down, [thinking], ‘I don’t want to be anywhere else.’ Playing here is awesome. From the start, it’s been a privilege to wear this star.”