Micah Parsons, discouraged by the lack of contract movement, but shows up to Cowboys practice: "I'm not here for" Jerry Jones

Micah Parsons is not a holdout. As of Tuesday, he is not a hold-in.

But that doesn't mean he's pleased with the state of his contract discussions with the Dallas Cowboys.

As Cowboys training camp started in earnest on Tuesday with the first practice of the summer in Oxnard, California, Parsons showed up. After the padless session in which Parsons was a limited participant, Parsons spoke candidly with the assembled media about the lack of movement on a contract extension as he approaches the final season of his five-year rookie deal.

"We'll see," Parsons said. "We'll just see how long things take."

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You wish you had the same type of energy

Parsons was then asked if he's "discouraged" by the absence of a new contract. He pointed to new deals for fellow All-Pro pass rushers T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett in his response.

Honestly, yeah," Parsons responded. "When you go around the league and you see these other teams taking care of their best guys. I see T.J. got taken care of. Maxx got taken care of. Myles got taken care of.

"He's got two years left on his deal. You see a lot of people in our league getting taken care of, you wish you had that same type of energy."

Crosby signed an extension valued at $35.5 million per year. Garrett's and Watt's extensions will pay them more than $40 million per season. Parsons is projected to sign a deal that matches or exceeds Watt's three-year, $123 million deal. That is if Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is willing to pay Parsons his market value.

Parsons responds to shots fired by Jerry Jones

Parsons' comments come a day after Jones raised eyebrows with his own comments Regarding negotiations with Parsons. During a single sentence at a press conference, Jones managed to take an unsolicited swipe at Parsons and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones said about Parsons. "He was injured six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year - Dak Prescott.

So there are a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you're thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.

Jones' comment about Parsons' games played was not accurate. Parsons missed four games due to injury last season, not six. Before 2024, Parsons had missed one regular season game in his three NFL seasons.

Not here to please another grown man

Parsons was asked about Jones' comments on Tuesday afternoon and whether he had spoken with Jones since Jones' press conference.

"I'm gonna talk to him," Parsons said of Jones. ... "At the end of the day, I'm here for my teammates. I'm not here to please another grown man. ...

"I'm here for these guys. I'm not here for him."

So, what's next?

The longer Parsons' contract situation lingers, the bigger the story will become.

And according to Jones, little progress is being made. He told reporters on Monday that he was not engaged in active discussions with Parsons' agent David Mulugheta about an extension.

So Parsons is participating for now, and he says he's doing so for himself and his teammates. But the pads aren't on yet. The Cowboys aren't scheduled for a full practice with pads until Sunday.

If Parsons and the Cowboys remain without a deal this weekend, his status for the first hard-hitting practice of camp could be the next turning point in this story.

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49ers Named Among Top Landing Spots for Two Star Wide Receivers

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The 2025 NFL season is nearly here. By the end of July, all 32 teams will have begun training camp – with preseason set to begin not long after that. For some teams, 2025 will be all about staying among the elite and proving that they have what it takes to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February. But for other teams, such as the San Francisco 49ers, this season will be about returning to prominence after a rough go-around in 2024.

But in order for the 49ers to return to the playoffs—and possibly the Super Bowl—they will need to make sure they put together the best team possible so that they have a shot. Revamping their wide receiver core, the franchise will go into the season with a lot of questions regarding that group—hoping that players such as Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings can step up and shine. But could the 49ers add some more help before Week One?

Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen Could Fit with the 49ers

CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin believes that with the 49ers being short-handed at wide receiver—with Brandon Aiyuk expected to miss the start of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL—they could benefit from adding a veteran player like Keenan Allen or Amari Cooper without it costing too much. Both players have been superstars during their careers, and following down seasons in '24, they might look to revive their careers on cheaper contracts.

The 49ers used the first waves of free agency to purge rather than collect big names, but neither Allen nor Cooper would likely cost a ton at this point of the offseason, Benjamin said "Yes, San Francisco's wide receiver group is theoretically set for the long term with both Brandon Aiyuk and Ricky Pearsall on board, but the former is still recovering from a serious injury, and Pearsall has only 11 NFL games under his belt. After securing Brock Purdy For the long haul, it's not hard to envision Kyle Shanahan wanting to give his young quarterback added insurance out wide, especially in the form of a proven route-running possession target like Allen or Cooper.

Allen, who is 33 years old, is coming off a season with the Chicago Bears where he caught 70 passes for 744 yards and six touchdowns. Cooper, who spent 2024 with both the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills, finished the campaign with 44 receptions for 547 yards and two touchdowns.

How Allen and Cooper Could Help

Allen and Cooper are both on the older side for wide receivers, but they have proven that they can be impact players when needed. Despite slipping to the No. 3 role towards the end of last season in Chicago, Allen still was valuable for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and was vital in helping the rookie. Rome Odunze adapt to the NFL. Allen could be that guy in San Francisco for players like Pearsall and Jennings who are looking to become the No. 1 pass-catching options for the 49ers.

Cooper had more of a down season, but a large part of that was due to being traded midseason. In his last full season with one team in 2023, he caught 72 passes for a career high of 1,250 yards and five touchdowns. While he is on the opposite side of 30, heading into his age-31 season, Cooper is still young enough where he can put together a good season and if the 49ers sign him, he could help make up for the lost production of Aiyuk early on.

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Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 21 -- Hardy Nickerson, NFL Mega-Tackler

We are counting down Cal's top 50 athletes based on their careers as post-collegiate professionals. Their performance as Golden Bears is not factored into the rankings.

21. HARDY NICKERSON

Years at Cal: 1983 to 1986

Sport: Football

Pro teams: Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers

Age: 59

Hometown: Compton, Calif.

Why we ranked him here: Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round in 1987, Nickerson excelled at linebacker over 16 seasons in the NFL. At 6-foot-2, 230 pounds, Nickerson made his way into the starting lineup by his second season and recorded 99 tackles. He had the first of seven seasons with at least 100 tackles in 1992, his final season in Pittsburgh. Nickerson signed a three-year, $5.1 million free-agent deal with Tampa Bay in the spring of 1993 and responded with his best season: a career-high and NFL-leading 214 tackles, the first of his five Pro Bowl invitations and a first-team AP All-Pro selection. He was a Pro Bowl pick every season from 1996 through '99, was a first-team All-Pro honoree for the second time in '97 and earned second-team recognition in '96 and '99. Nickerson played two seasons (2000-01) with Jacksonville and his final year at Green Bay (2002). He completed his career with 1,586 tackles, which ranks 10th in NFL history, along with 14 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions. Nickerson won the NFLPA Alan Page Community Service Award in 1997 and was named to Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-1990s second team.

At Cal: Nickerson came to Berkeley from Verbum Dei High School in Los Angeles, where he led the Eagles to a 25-game win streak including 13 shutouts. He recorded 141 tackles as a sophomore at Cal in 1984 to earn All-Pac-10 second-team honors. He was named to the all-conference first team in '85 after setting a Cal single-season record with 167 tackles that remained unbroken until Evan Weaver surpassed it in 2019. Nickerson had 132 tackles as a senior when he landed on the All-Pac-10 second team. He finished his career with 501 tackles, still second on the Bears' all-time list. Nickerson was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.

Other: Since 2007, Nickerson has coached at every level, including stints with the Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers. He also served as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator at Illinois, where he coached his son, Hardy Nickerson Jr. The older Nickerson has worked two different stretches as head coach at Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland, including for the past three seasons.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/cal as Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 21 -- Hardy Nickerson, NFL Mega-Tackler .

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