News broke this morning that Micah Parsons was prepared to demand a trade and sever his relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. This afternoon, that nightmare became a reality and the elite pass rusher has expressed on his X account he no longer wishes to play for the Dallas Cowboys.

Everything was rumors up until this point, but straight from the Lion’s mouth is as concrete and clear as it gets.

Ask any Cowboys fan. Parsons has been the heartbeat of this organization since day one. Converting from linebacker to edge rusher, Parsons has elevated this defense to new heights.

Parsons has 52.5 career sacks over four years and has posted double-digit numbers each season. He’s highly regarded as one of the best pass rushers and overall defensive players in the NFL, because even with impressive sack numbers, he’s constantly in the backfield and applying pressure to quarterbacks.

Parsons is more than just his contribution on the field. Parsons is a leader. Even as he limps, Parsons is never ripped off the field and is adamant about playing every down he can. Parsons galvanizes his teammates, as players like Juanyeh Thomas and DeMarvion Overshown have already changed their X profile pictures in solidarity with Micah Parsons.

This is not new for the Jones family. We experienced the same delay on Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last year, but to not engage with Micah’s agent on negotiations is peculiar for a team leader who hasn’t even entered his prime yet. And to see the tension has reached an all-time high, a contract delay does not seem like a feasible approach. Those deals eventually got done with Prescott and Lamb, but it never reached this level of hurt feelings.

All hope isn’t lost. Micah Parsons isn’t the first player to publicly admit he is severing ties with his team. Myles Garrett did the same for Cleveland and everything was quickly forgiven once he received a massive extension.

At this point, it’s not about the contract. Micah Parsons will get paid, by the Cowboys or someone else, and he deserves every penny.

It’s not about the player or the human being. Micah Parsons is an extraordinary, one-of-a-kind athlete with an insane work ethic. People of Micah’s nature don’t come around often.

It’s now about the team morale and trust. This message isn’t being sent to Micah Parsons. The message is being sent to the entire locker room that people like Parsons, of high character and production, isn’t worthy of a contract, let alone negotiations.

If I was a player on the Cowboys, I’m losing trust in the front office and the organization of how much value I have in my day-to-day life. Do I want to put in my best effort for bosses that don’t care? And if I’m an outside prospect, do I want to play for America’s Team if that is how they treat their star players?

Again, not all hope is lost. But there is a clear message the Jones family is conveying and it’s not doing the Cowboys any favors.

To secure a star player and to avoid more damage, Jerry must write a check by the end of this weekend. Even a trade wouldn’t clean up the mess the Jones family has created all on their own.