Remember the good ol' days? When the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry... when it felt like a heavyweight title fight every meeting. Think back to Ali-Frazier on grass, fueled by decades of pure, unadulterated rivalry. Tailgates buzzed with anticipation. And the banter was sharp. The games?
Often legendary. That edge-of-your-seat intensity defined NFC East football. But something feels off lately. The fire seems dimmer, the drama shifting strangely. And Jerry Jones sits right at the center of this unsettling change.
Suddenly, the antagonist Eagles fans love to hate is making them feel... sympathy? For Cowboys Nation? It sounds crazy. Yet, Jerry Jones orchestrated this twist himself. How?
Jerry Jones' Unprompted Barrage: Targeting His Own Stars
Jones didn't just question Micah Parsons; he unleashed a public broadside against multiple cornerstone players. While discussing Parsons' contract, Jones took an unprompted jab.
"Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re going to have him. He was hurt six games last year. Seriously," Jones scoffed. (Note: Parsons actually missed four games). Crucially, he then dragged Dak Prescott into the fray as a cautionary tale.
"I remember signing a player for the highest paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year—Dak Prescott," Jerry added. But Jones wasn't done.
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones randomly takes a shot at Micah Parsons, saying even if they sign him, it doesn’t mean they’ll have him, because he was hurt for 6 games last year (fact check: he only missed 4).
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 21, 2025
He then also says they made Dak Prescott the richest player in football —… pic.twitter.com/g6T8FnEEOX
He publicly second-guessed the timing of lucrative extensions given to cornerback Trevon Diggs and offensive tackle Terence Steele, asking rhetorically, "Frankly, should we have waited on Diggs and Steele?" This came just days after the Cowboys enforced a $500,000 salary reduction against Diggs for rehabbing away from the facility.
The penalty came with Jones sternly declaring, "We expect a player paid like Trevon to be here all the time." That tone... that goddamn tone!
Parsons, understandably, fired back after practice on July 22nd. "I'm here for my teammates," Parsons stated flatly. "I'm not here to please another grown man... I'm not here for him." Ouch! This isn't just contract talk. It's deeply personal. Jones publicly doubted Parsons' value, durability, and invoked Prescott's injury while questioning past investments in Diggs and Steele.
Cowboys DE Micah Parsons and CB Trevon Diggs gave an impromptu availability to give their own side of the front office’s comments yesterday.
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) July 22, 2025
Parsons on his deal: “Some teams like Maxx [Crosby with the Raiders] knew [they] were coming up and they took care of them. Must be nice.” pic.twitter.com/27JLKImgEC
Consequently, the All-Pro pass rusher feels disrespected. "Honestly, yeah," Parsons admitted when asked if he's discouraged, pointing to deals for T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, and Myles Garrett. "You wish you had that same type of energy." The sentiment was echoed league-wide.
J.J. Watt sarcastically noted this on X: "Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it… Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more..." —a post Parsons himself retweeted.
Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it…
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) July 21, 2025
Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you. https://t.co/iaaBk6kfmo
The Jerry Jones Playbook: Undermining Your Own Stars
This pattern drains the fun. Eagles fans thrive on hating a powerful, arrogant Cowboys empire led by Jerry Jones. Watching Jones undermine his own stars? It’s like seeing Darth Vader lecture Vader Jr. on loyalty. Suddenly, the schadenfreude feels mixed with genuine pity for Cowboys players.
The rivalry’s lifeblood—mutual contempt—gets diluted. Where's the joy in beating a team whose owner is being accused of being determined to dismantle its spirit? Philadelphia dominated Dallas twice last year (34-6, 41-7), but the wins felt hollow against a fractured foe. Besides, the drama overshadows the gridiron.
Instead of debating Hurts vs. Prescott or dreaming of stopping CeeDee Lamb, talk centers on Jerry Jones' latest contract stalemate or petty fine. Will Parsons hold in? Will Diggs rebound? These are internal Cowboys messes, not the shared, competitive hatred that fueled decades. The rivalry risks becoming a soap opera starring Jerry Jones, not a battle between titans.
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So, as we look to the September 4th season opener—Eagles raising their banner against Dallas—the question hangs heavy. Can the pure competition reignite? Or has Jerry Jones, through these needless chirpings, dulled one of football's sharpest edges? For true rivalry fans, it’s a bitter pill. As the great Grantland Rice mused, "It's not whether you won or lost, but how you played the game." For Jerry Jones lately, the 'how' might be taking a backseat to the 'whether.'