Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that he feels good about the chances of star edge rusher Micah Parsons playing in Week 1.
But Parsons has yet to practice with the team in training camp, not in Oxnard, California, where they spent nearly a month this summer, and not back at The Star.
Parsons, who made a trade request on Aug. 1 that owner and general manager Jerry Jones hasn't honored, is still holding in while searching for a contract extension.
The saga has followed the Cowboys everywhere they've gone this preseason, and the same goes for Jones, who once again was asked how close he is to getting a deal done, this time on Fox News Thursday.
"Micah's a great player, not a good player," Jones said. "He knows more than anyone that it's a team thing, and, so, I know everybody's tired of hearing this, but you've got to put this puzzle together so that you can have some other people out there playing with Micah.
"That's the art of the deal. And that's what we're trying to get done, and we're trying to make this thing work."
Jones added: "We have all the appreciation in the world for what he can mean to the years ahead. We're proud to have him."
At the moment, the Cowboys are set to pay Parsons $24 million this season, the fifth and final season on his rookie deal.
Parsons, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, immediately made a name for himself in the league, winning NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. In each of his first four seasons, he's recorded at least 12 sacks — even last year when he played only 13 games while dealing with an ankle injury.
The Penn State product has piled up 52.5 sacks, 256 total tackles, 112 quarterback hits and nine forced fumbles in 63 regular-season games.
Parsons is only 26 years old, and he's seen as one of the league's best defenders. He wants to be valued as such.
Even though Jones has signed linchpin players to delayed extensions before — most recently quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb — the longtime Cowboys owner doesn't appear to be any closer to inking Parsons to a new contract.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that "it sounds like at this point it's personal" and that "it sounds like each side is dug in."
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