Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer sets Micah Parsons expectations for Week 1

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t appear too worried about Micah Parsons’ Week 1 availability. 

With a contract dispute ongoing between the star pass rusher and the Cowboys, Schottenheimer told reporters he’s confident Parsons will play when Dallas takes on its division rival on Sept. 4 – contract extension or not. 

“I feel good that Micah will be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Schottenheimer told reporters Wednesday.

Schottenheimer’s comments come one day after ESPN’s Adam Schefter posited that the Parsons-Cowboys partnership was “headed towards divorce” after the relationship deteriorated throughout the offseason.

“You can’t get a deal done if you’re not even talking, and the two sides haven’t had any negotiations since late March or early April, and it sounds like at this point it’s personal,” Schefter said on his self-titled podcast on Tuesday.

Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler, has been seeking a new deal this offseason as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.

When Cowboys training camp opened earlier this summer, Dallas owner Jerry Jones took a shot at the star defensive end over the contract stalemate, jabbing him for missing multiple games last season. 

Parsons then announced on social media that he no longer wants to play for Dallas, as the club has yet to contact his agent after Parsons and Jones discussed a new deal in March.

“Unfortunately I no longer want to be here,” wrote Parsons. “I no longer want to be held to close 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 organization our fans and my teammates… I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”

Earlier this month, Jones wasn’t as confident as Schottenheimer that Parsons would be in uniform for the Cowboys against the Eagles. 

“No, absolutely not,” Jones responded when he was asked if he was confident that Parsons would play Week 1.

“A big part of that is his decision. How would I know that? I’m just saying. No, but I’m urgent. … We will work through it or we will not work through it.”