Jerry Jones has finally broken his silence on the Micah Parsons drama, and he made things even more awkward. Every Dallas Cowboys fan knows it's time to hand Parsons the extension he deserves, but this may get messier before we get a resolution.
On Friday, Parsons handed in a trade request after months of frustration. Jones has responded publicly but failed to make things any better.
"I would say to our fans, don't lose any sleep over this," said Jones, per Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. But that's not the worst of it.
Cowboys' Jerry Jones doubles down on frustrating Micah Parsons contract stance
You know what would make Cowboys fans sleep well? Extending Parsons' contract. Unfortunately, Jones went a step further and made the situation even worse when asked about a potential deal the two sides had negotiated back in March.
"Micah took it off the table," Jones said, according to Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News.
So, in the same interview, Jones told Cowboys fans not to worry because they're not trading Parsons, but then blamed the All-Pro pass-rusher for taking a deal off the table. Right. That's bound to help calm the tensions.
READ MORE: Micah Parsons' top trade destination is painfully clear (and it's a nightmare)
"We Want Micah" chants echoed around Cowboys practice on Saturday, yet another clear indication of where fans stand on this ugly situation.
When will this nightmare end? If Jones planned to anger Cowboys fans and give Parsons another reason to want out, congratulations. He has accomplished his mission. If the goal is to keep Parsons in Dallas on a long-term deal, yeah, this doesn't help anyone.
It should never have even reached this point. Parsons has four consecutive double-digit sack seasons since entering the league, earning four Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors. He has 52.5 career sacks and 112 quarterback hits, and, at 26 years old, is just getting started.
Jones has the easiest negotiation imaginable. Make Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in the league, as he deserves, and move forward.
That will likely happen eventually, and the Cowboys remain firm in their stance that Jones isn't on the trade block. But Jones has ensured this saga reached a new low before it (hopefully) improves.