The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to offseason distractions.But this preseason, the contract negotiations – or lack thereof – as it pertains to linebacker Micah Parsons have taken center stage and put a cloud over training camp preparations for the 2025 NFL season. Parsons is holding out for a contract extensionGettyAt the heart, of course, is outspoken owner Jerry Jones, who has been reluctant to pay one of his biggest stars, whose value to the Cowboys is at an all-time high. Pushing for an extension in the region of north than $40 million per season, in what would be one of the largest deals for a non-quarterback, Parsons is prepared to maintain the standoff between himself and Jones by holding back from full participation in training camp. However, the Cowboys owner, who is worth $17.3bn, has already made a blunder by referring to his player as ‘Michael Parsons’, as well as calling out the four-time Pro Bowler at the start of training camp after he missed four games with injury last season. Jones was adamant it was six games missed, though. Jerry Jones doubles down on Micah Parsons shade with CeeDee Lamb comparisonThe saga has since continued, with Jones addressing the crowd at one of the Cowboys’ open training sessions only to be met with crowd chants of “Pay Micah!” – the fans’ priority being very clear. But in typical Jerry Jones fashion, he has continued to hit out at his disgruntled star, saying that the chants for the team to pay Parsons was not as loud as last season when they demanded he give an extension to star wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. “I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, ‘Pay Lamb [last year]’, Jones said via ESPN. “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.”With the pressure to reach an agreement with the three-time All-Pro, Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones, the eldest son of Jerry, also spoke out about the ongoing dispute, though his choice of words were interesting. “We want to pay Micah too. He has to want to be paid,” the Cowboys EVP said, via Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones is reluctant to pay his star defensive endGettyParsons has 50 sacks through his first four seasonsParsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract, with him currently set to earn $24 million this season. However, with fellow pass-rushers T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett signing lucrative multi-year extensions this off-season, it is no surprise that Parsons, who has 50 career sacks over four seasons, wants to hold out for a deal that he feels aligns with his worth. Jones has built somewhat of a reputation for making his star players wait for extensions, though the money has always been coughed up eventually. Dallas finalized an extension worth four-years, $52 million with tight end Jake Ferguson on Sunday, which made him the highest-paid TE in the organization’s history. Dak Prescott praises Parsons amid contract standoffFurthermore, franchise quarterback Dak Prescott found himself in a similar situation to Parsons just last year, though he ended up penning a four-year, $240 million extension and became the highest paid quarterback in the NFL in the process. But with the 2022 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year also having experienced a standoff with Jones in the past, Prescott commended Parsons for how he has behaved throughout. “I mean, it’s an every year conversation, whether it’s myself, Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, now Micah Parsons,” Prescott said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “It’s a part of it in a sense. Is it something that I wish any of us were going through? Absolutely not. But I think Micah’s doing a hell of a job with it being here. “He’s a great teammate, showing up, obviously not just on the field and being focused, but whether it be in the camaraderie, hanging out, dinner. He’s not just doing it to sign off and say, ‘Hey, Jerry, look at me.’ “He wants to be out there practicing. And honestly, I’m glad he’s not. He can’t do that to himself. That’s the business of it. That’s the business of a holdout, so I do think he’s taken some great steps with being here. “I don’t know if there’s a correct way to handle it, to be honest with you. I will say that I think he deserves to get paid. I think he should get paid, and, ultimately going off the history of what I’ve seen, he will get paid. Hopefully, it’s sooner than later.”Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our NFL Facebook page, subscribe to our talkSPORT End Zone YouTube channel for all the offseason news, interviews and more.