The Jerry Jones–Micah Parsons tension was supposed to fade once the latter was traded to the Green Bay Packers. But it hasn’t. If anything, it has lingered in a different form, with fans and media picking sides. Now, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has entered the argument, and he talks from his own experience.

“This is where my hate for the Cowboys comes in. (Btw I bleed blue with passion) You media guys are on Jerry’s payroll in some form or fashion to be speaking this way,” he wrote on X in response to a host on the Shan & RJ podcast taking shots at Parsons for playing the victim after backing out once Jones accepted his contract terms.

“Micah should not have been negotiating with Jerry even if they agreed to anything,” Bryant wrote further. “The majority of us athletes are uneducated when it comes to negotiating a contract. You know this. We athletes are ignorant of certain things that are supposed to help us.

“This machine is built to capitalize off our ignorance, but as soon as we get educated a tad bit, the blackmailing, you know, the sh-t I’m talking about. Just wish them well, and that’s it. Some of us learn and don’t lose ourselves.”

Bryant’s thoughts are hardly surprising, considering how Jones brought up negotiations with Jay-Z (Juan Perez) and Dez Bryant from ten years ago as his reasoning for directly talking to Parsons.

Here’s what happened back in the day: In August, Jones explained that he discussed the terms with Jay-Z, Bryant’s agent. He told reporters that when issues arose with the player, the agent was unavailable. He recalled that Jay-Z had assured him during contract negotiations that Bryant would attend all meetings on time. He even emphasized that punctuality was a core value of his organization. However, it all ended with Jay-Z not attending his calls.

Bryant was seething when he heard this. And so, he had a story time of his own.

He posted a tweet that month about how he kept quiet about many unfair practices. Jay-Z, too, released a statement. He explained that back in 2015, he, Jones, and Stephen Jones negotiated a five-year, $70 million deal, which included a $45 million guarantee and a $20 million signing bonus for Dez Bryant, on a napkin. That deal made the player one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league. 

Further in the statement, Jay-Z mentioned that the claims of not returning Jones’ calls were not only false but also comical. 

Clearly, Bryant and Jay-Z did not like their names being used as an example by Jones, but on a deeper level, they also understood what Parsons went through. 

Jerry Jones broke the rules in that negotiation

The Cowboys’ owner referred to Bryant’s contract negotiation back in 2019 as well. He admitted that he negotiated with Jay-Z directly. The problem?

Well, the Collective Bargaining Agreement at the time prohibited contract negotiations with agents who aren’t certified by the NFLPA. And Jay-Z was not an NFLPA agent. In fact, the NFLPA even looked into the issue of the Dallas team trying to directly talk to players about deals, but there was never any productive outcome. 

After the Parsons incident, the NFLPA’s interim executive director, David White, was asked about his stance on the matter. White mentioned:

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“We intend to enforce every provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement when we think that there may be a violation. And the best way to do that is to call people and say: ‘Knock it off.’”

His response suggested that the organization told Jones to knock it off, but here’s the problem with it: The CBA doesn’t do much when it comes to punishing owners who try to cut the agent out of the process. As reported by NBA Sports in September, there is no punishment for the first offense. For the second offense and every violation after that, it is a $62,000 fine.

As for Micah Parsons, he clearly hasn’t forgotten what he went through in the offseason. And to this day, he is still taking shots at Jerry Jones.

Micah Parsons won’t stop hitting back at Jerry Jones

In August, Jones said the decision to trade Micah Parsons was unanimous inside the Dallas Cowboys building, but defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus might not exactly echo the sentiment. “Obviously, you had a an All-Pro pass rusher that wins really quick,” Eberflus said on Thursday. “That is going to help any defense. If it’s Micah or if it’s Myles Garrett. That impact player is always going to help. You can’t look back. It is what it is.”

It didn’t take long for that quote to make its way around social media. Parsons saw it, and his first response was a repost filled with laughing emojis. A short while later, he added context. This time, the target was clear.

“Y’all want me to feel bad? Jerry Jones slandered my name to Cowboys media and national media for months. So I do think I can react to comment if I want to! #respectfully,” he wrote on X.

From the outside, it looks like Parsons is enjoying the turbulence back in Dallas. And from the Cowboys’ perspective, the absence is hard to ignore. They have just 31 sacks as a team, with Jadeveon Clowney and James Houston tied for the team lead at 5.5. During his four seasons in Dallas, Parsons never finished a year with fewer than 12 sacks.

Last season, the Cowboys recorded 51 sacks, as per Pro Football Reference. Ever since his exit, the defense has been struggling, and judging by Parsons’ reaction, he seems to be enjoying it.