Jerry Jones hears fans chant 'Pay Micah!' as talks continue

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OXNARD, Calif. -- As Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke to the crowd before Saturday's practice, a number of fans yelled some fashion of "Pay Micah!"

Yes, Jones heard the yearning for the Cowboys to sign Micah Parsons to a contract extension.

"I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, 'Pay Lamb [last year],'" Jones said on Sunday of the CeeDee Lamb negotiations from last year. "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."

The Cowboys eventually signed Lamb to a $136 million contract in late August after the Cowboys returned to The Star in Frisco, Texas, from their summer home in Oxnard.

Jones was asked if there was an update on the Parsons talks after the organization signed tight end Jake Ferguson to a four-year contract worth up to $52 million on Sunday.

"Really I don't have anything to comment there at all," Jones said. "Just no comment."

Executive vice president Stephen Jones said the Cowboys would keep all Parsons discussions "in-house." But he, too, heard the fans Saturday.

"It doesn't change anything," he said. "We want to pay Micah, too. He's got to want to be paid, too."

The Cowboys' talks with Ferguson intensified not long before training camp before coming to an agreement Saturday night on a deal that includes $30 million guaranteed and a $12 million signing bonus.

"People say, 'Oh, there's other spots you could go,'" Ferguson said. "I remember sitting down, [thinking], 'I don't want to be anywhere else.' Playing here is awesome. From the start, it's been a privilege to wear this star."

A fourth-round pick in 2022, Ferguson has 149 catches for 1,429 yards and 7 touchdowns in 47 games. His best season came in 2023 when he caught 71 passes for 761 yards and 5 touchdowns and was added as a replacement to the Pro Bowl for San Francisco's George Kittle.

Ferguson and Jason Witten are the only tight ends in team history to record two 50-plus-catch seasons in their first three seasons. Last season, Ferguson caught 59 passes for 494 yards but did not score a touchdown. He suffered a sprained MCL in the season-opening win against the Cleveland Browns that limited him for most of the first half of the season. In the second half of the season, he missed two games with a concussion.

"We certainly have appreciated what he's been in his career with us, not only as the player we want out there but he's also a leader competitively," Jerry Jones said. "What he does he really does juice it up for everybody. And that's a consensus of all his teammates and coaches. So we're glad to have him. He's got a home here for his career."

Ferguson is not the only player the Cowboys would like to have a home for their careers.

In addition to Parsons, the Cowboys have other players they would like to extend, like left guard Tyler Smith, who is under contract through 2026, cornerback DaRon Bland and potentially wide receiver George Pickens. Pro Bowl kicker Brandon Aubrey is set to be a restricted free agent after the season.

One football axiom is takeaways come in bunches. Could new deals come in bunches for the Cowboys?

"They can," Stephen Jones said. "I mean we still obviously got a lot going on. You don't really like to talk about them until they're done. I would've told you this deal [Ferguson] may have gotten done before camp started. But you just got to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. Everybody's got to get comfortable, and you go from there."

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