In stark contrast to his comments of just a week ago, Micah Parsons has requested a trade away from the Dallas Cowboys following a breakdown in contract talks.

The elite pass rusher arrived at training camp last week insisting that he wanted to remain in Dallas and intoning that he was looking forward to getting a chance to recommence talks with team owner and GM Jerry Jones and his son Stephen. Since then, however, Jones Jr has told the media, somewhat cryptically, that while the club wants to pay Parsons, the player ‘also has to want to be paid’, while his father candidly insisted that, even if they paid him, they would not necessarily ‘have him’, referring to the few games Parsons has missed through injury.

Parsons responded by posting a meme from the Bad Boys movie franchise, captioned ‘One last time’ but, if Cowboys fans took that to be a hint that he would again try to restart negotiations with the Joneses, there was a shock to come, as Parsons posted a lengthy missive as a follow-up:

“Yes, I wanted to be here. I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this America’s team once again. The team my pops and I grew up cheering for way up in Harrisburg, PA.

“Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to closed-door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organisation, our fans and my team-mates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me. I had purposely stayed quiet in hopes of getting something done.

“But since there is confusion out there, let me clear some things up. I had my agent reach out to the Cowboys last offseason after my 3rd year in hopes of getting a deal done early. Unfortunately, the team did not want to start any negotiations at that point. I was OK with that, didn’t complain, and focused on the 2024 season.

“After the season, I told my agent once again to let the team know we were open to negotiate when they met at the Combine. My agent informed me I should wait for other deals to get done because the price would only go up, but I didn’t care and wanted to secure myself as a Cowboy long term. This was before any of the other pass rushers’ deals got done this offseason. I knew I would be leaving money on the table, but again I was OK with that.

“Again, radio silence as far as my extension.

“In March, I met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership. Somehow, the conversation turned into him talking contract with me. Yes, I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation, and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out, thinking this would get things done.

“But, when my agent reached out and spoke to Adam, he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again, the team decided to go silent. At that point, we decided we would allow the team to reach out to us whenever they decided they wanted to talk. Yet still not a call, email, or text to my agent about starting a negotiation.

“Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract. Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years, or anything else.

“Still I stayed quiet, but again, after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives, I have made a tough decision: I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.”

Whether Parsons is really done with Dallas or hoping that, by forcing the hand of ownership, he can reach a similar resolution to Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, who also demanded a trade before being re-signed to what was then the biggest contract for a player not a quarterback. Garrett’s extension netted him a four-year deal worth $160m, with $123.5m guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $40m. Parsons has repeatedly claimed that he is not looking to reset the market, merely wanting to be paid commensurate to his level of performance and, until the start of August, hoping to be a ‘Cowboys for life’.

Right now, that does not look possible.