“Yeah, I think they’re a really good team. Honestly, I think they’re really well coached,” Zach Ertz told Dianna Russini, speaking about the Cowboys just days before Week 1. Ertz didn’t mince words. Sure, he meant it in a respectful way. But when you are as good as Micah Parsons is, then why would any opponent want to face you? So, Ertz dropped a subtle wish every Commanders fan could get behind.

On the closing note of the interview, when Dianna asked, “Secretly hope maybe Micah gets traded, right?” Zach Ertz didn’t hesitate, replying, “Of course. Out of the NFC East at least.” It wasn’t bad blood. Just Ertz giving flowers to Parsons. Back in February, the Cowboys’ #11 himself had tipped his hat to Jayden Daniels, comparing the young Commanders quarterback to Lamar Jackson. That moment was a clear example of talent recognizing talent, and in this league, respect and rivalry walk hand in hand. For Washington, Daniels’ meteoric rise to Offensive Rookie of the Year has shifted the balance of power, and players like Ertz know their window is tighter if Parsons remains in Dallas.

Parsons’ praise for Daniels was as bold as it was telling: “I haven’t seen more of a cold-blooded rookie since I’ve been in the NFL and probably the past besides Lamar, probably past five, seven years.” That recognition carried weight, especially after Daniels led Washington to a 12-5 finish, their first playoff win since 2005… And an NFC title game berth. But while JD looks like the future of the NFC East, Parsons’ own future with Dallas has become a soap opera. It has blurred the lines between admiration, competition, and front-office friction.

The latest saga unfolded during the Cowboys’ preseason finale against the Falcons. Cameras caught Parsons lying on the trainers’ table in street clothes while his teammates played. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer admitted the incident blindsided him. He said that he needed to “figure out what he was doing and why he was doing it.” Parsons’ absence from pads, coupled with his social media scrubbing of Cowboys references, added fuel to the fire. Owner Jerry Jones, meanwhile, continued his public charm offensive. JJ spoke to Parsons’ mother, talking about team chemistry on TV. But what’s telling is how Jerry is still avoiding his agent, David Mulugheta, whose hardline reputation has made negotiations tense.

Jones insists he’s prepared to make Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, potentially topping T.J. Watt’s $41 million annual mark. Yet Parsons remains unconvinced, arguing the team has disrespected him by dragging its feet and posturing through the media. From Dallas’ perspective, the franchise tag looms as a weapon to keep Parsons under team control through 2027. Parsons fueled speculation of a holdout… Or, in the wildest scenario, a blockbuster trade. His social media farewell video has already rubbed salt on the wound of the Cowboys Nation.

The MRI on his back came back “pretty clean,” so the theatrics weren’t about health. They were about leverage. Parsons defended himself online: “I’d never disrespect the guys out there fighting for their lives.” But perception has already turned against him. For now, the Cowboys’ season opener against the Eagles looms, and Dallas insiders are bracing for what comes next. Will Parsons take the field as the defensive anchor, or will this standoff escalate into the most dramatic contract dispute of Jerry Jones’ tenure? Across the division, rivals like Ertz are rooting for chaos, knowing that Micah’s exit, even hypothetical, would reshape the NFC East overnight.

Micah Parsons saga defines Schottenheimer’s inheritance: repair or rupture?

The Cowboys haven’t exactly given rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer a soft landing. As AT&T Stadium hummed during Friday’s preseason win over Atlanta, Parsons lay conspicuously apart, the only starter not in team gear, the only Pro Bowler sending a message without saying a word. For Schottenheimer, the challenge is far more political than tactical. He’s charged not just with prepping the depth chart. But with re-soldering the bond between Dallas’s brass and its brightest on-field talent. For a first-year HC, this is the NFL’s deepest deep end.

“It’s obvious that these recent actions did not sit well with ownership or the team,” Schefter commented, “and an explanation is needed, especially after it was revealed that Parsons’ MRI had come back clean.” The irony? Schotty has zero power to cut checks. The authority, and the headache, belongs to Jones, whose media tour looks more like distraction than leadership. The tension escalates every day a deal remains undone.

Parsons, for his part, is painfully aware of the stakes. “There isn’t a real difference between $30 million APY and $40 million APY,” he said last December, acknowledging the cap realities and his desire for surrounding talent. But months later, as Jones continues to sidestep the agent and the talks stall out, the monster contract seems both inevitable and impossibly out of reach.

League insiders expect a last-minute fire drill to save the relationship. But the Cowboys’ willingness to force uncomfortable negotiations may yet blow up in their faces. One misstep, one more day of silent standoff, could push Parsons out of Dallas and give the Commanders, Eagles, and Giants their fondest wish: a defense without No. 11 coming off the edge.

As Week 1 approaches, all eyes remain on the medical table, the locker room, and the front office phone lines. Will Parsons suit up as Dallas’ defensive engine, or are fans witnessing his final act in silver and blue? Either way, Ertz’s “honest confession” is the echo of an entire division. Micah Parsons remains the NFC East’s most important domino, and the uncertainty makes every snap feel heavier.