As Jerry Jones makes contract negotiations with Micah Parsons public, many have assumed it’s because the Dallas Cowboys owner prioritizes attention over winning.
ESPN loves when Jerry Jones gives them a reason to talk about the Cowboys. And Jones loves seeing the Cowboys making headlines on ESPN and everywhere else. So, when Jones opened Cowboys training camp by calling out Parsons’ previous injuries and forecasting the possibility of their All-Pro linebacker getting hit by a car, it reeked of a cry for attention.
Thursday morning, however, Jason Garrett joined The Dan Patrick Show, and the former Cowboys head coach claimed he doesn’t believe Jones is talking about Parson solely for the attention.
“He’s a master marketer,” Garrett admitted. “And his impact on the popularity of the NFL cannot be overstated. You and I both know his impact on TV deals in the 90s. His impact on marketing stadiums and how that’s made a lot of owners, a lot of coaches, a lot of players a hell of a lot of money for a lot of years.
“He certainly gets that part of it. I don’t think that’s the driving motivation, because if it wasn’t Micah Parsons, it would be something else with the Cowboys. ESPN always leads with the Cowboys. Whatever the situation is. So, I don’t think that’s a driving force for him. Maybe it’s a byproduct of the approach he’s taking, but he typically likes to wait on these things.”
Garrett said Jones doesn’t like talking to agents about contract negotiations, he prefers getting to a point where the player decides they’re ready to sit down directly with him. Maybe needling Parsons through the media is a way of getting the All-Pro linebacker to seek that conversation. And if it happens to end up as a topic on ESPN, Jones isn’t going to be upset about it.
Everyone knows Jerry Jones loves the spotlight. It’s why he’s the only owner who holds regular press conferences, speaks to reporters after every game and conducts weekly interviews with local sports radio shows. But would he choose being on ESPN over winning? ESPN thinks so. Earlier this week, ESPN’s Kevin Clark alleged the Cowboys owner prioritizes media attention over building a football team.
That doesn’t mean Jones is uninterested in building a winning football team. It just means he wants to make a headline first. But Garrett is right about one thing, Jones shouldn’t have to try hard to make headlines, because ESPN will find them no matter what. If the Cowboys are good, there will be daily segments on ESPN about whether they’re good enough to win a Super Bowl. And if they Cowboys are bad, there will be daily segments about whether they should chase Arch Manning and Nick Saban in the offseason.
Jerry Jones and ESPN have one commonality. They’re both really good at crafting headlines about the Dallas Cowboys.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com