FRISCO — The offseason reality show “Will Micah and Trevon show up to work?” was answered on Tuesday, leaving us with more questions.
The Cowboys opened their mandatory three-day minicamp at The Star with Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs attending the sessions.
It prompted coach Brian Schottenheimer to remark, “perfect attendance is a good thing.”
Parsons is an infrequent visitor to the voluntary offseason workouts, though Schottenheimer asked him to attend the first voluntary session in the spring, which he did. Parsons showed up again Tuesday and didn’t work out because of a tight back, a result of working out with, yes, Diggs, his close friend.
As the Cowboys conducted their first minicamp practice, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke with Parsons for nearly 25 minutes. Parsons is seeking a contract that would make him one of the highest-paid players in league history for a non-quarterback. Parsons said he didn’t talk contract with Jones on Tuesday. It was just a catchup between old friends.
“It was a pretty good conversation,” he said.
Jones was demonstrative with his arms during his chat, which was about 110 yards away from reporters watching practice. You couldn’t help but wonder just where Parsons and Jones are on that contract talk.
It doesn’t appear close.
Parsons said it’s up to Jones to call his agent to jump-start talks.
When asked why the agent doesn’t call Jones or the Cowboys’ contract negotiators, he said, “next question.”
It seems everybody is playing games or doing what happens on these reality shows: creating unnecessary drama.
Reporters did get an answer that Parsons will attend Cowboys training camp. However, whether Parsons will practice in training camp without a new deal, he said, “we’ll see. Time will tell.”
The contract is the biggest issue with Parsons and whether a deal can be done before camp. Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (Arlington Martin/Texas A&M) has the largest contract for a non-quarterback, averaging $40 million. He signed a contract extension with guarantees of $123.5 million. Parsons is seeking a contract with total compensation of $200 million.
Garrett reset the market for rushers. Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati) and TJ Watt (Pittsburgh), two elite rushers, are holding out of mandatory minicamps this week. Whatever they sign for, if they get new contracts, Parsons is expected to sur that.
“Some people like to take their time more than others,” Parsons said of contract talks. “You can’t rush the process. [Jones] wants the deal to go as cleanly as possible. I want the deal to go as cleanly as possible, so it’s just about getting it done as clearly and quickly as possible.”
When it gets completed isn’t known.
As for Diggs, recovering from left knee surgery, he worked out Tuesday morning with the rehab group and watched practice in the afternoon. Diggs prefers to do his rehab work away from The Star, which is concerning because you’d think being close to the Cowboys’ medical staff is important. In today’s sports world, players rehab with their trainers and report their progress to the teams.
However, Diggs hasn’t worked out 84% of the time at The Star to satisfy a clause in his contract, so he stands to lose $500,000 of his $9 million base salary.
It seems Diggs and the training staff have issues. Diggs needs to get pushed to get his work done from time to time, something Parsons commented on Tuesday.
Schottenheimer said Diggs is progressing well in his rehab on the left knee that’s been surgically repaired twice in the last two years. During the 2023 season, it was to fix a torn ACL and now it’s more complex. Diggs underwent a chondral tissue graft that replaced damaged cartilage in ts with tissue.
Nobody knows when Diggs will return.
Diggs didn’t speak with reporters Tuesday to explain his thoughts on his rehab and why he’s not at The Star on a regular basis.
Of course, Diggs can rehab wherever he wants. To do it at the potential cost of $500,000 is an interesting decision considering the NFL is a sport that is ready to replace you at a moment’s notice.
While Diggs and Parsons were in attendance on the first day of the mandatory minicamp, it didn’t give you the feeling that the issues with these two men are close to a resolution.
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