"You,'' Micah Parsons says in trying to recruit free agents to the Cowboys, "are going to get more marketing dollars than you ever had - in one year - than you've ever had!''
FRISCO — Micah Parsons means well. But he's learned wrong.
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs recently grabbed headlines by claiming that had he been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, it would've made him "sick.''
Naturally, that triggered a response from Micah Parsons - and we say "naturally'' because on social media, there is no topic that Micah will not tackle.
In this case, Parsons wasn't just responding because "responding'' is what he does; to his credit, he was trying to use the story as a launching pad into his offseason work as the Cowboys quasi-"recruiting coordinator.'' ... a way to pitch to the world all the prideful and wonderful reasons to come to Dallas and wear The Star.
So in a recent episode of his "The Edge Podcast," Micah made his plea in support of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and all things "America's Team'' - including the use of that special phrase.
"Everyone wants to come play for 'America’s Team,'' Micah said. "We don’t gotta get on the media and start cappin’ (lying) about how many people tell 'Jerry ‘come get me.' We’re not even going to throw names out there.''
So far, so good. The Cowboys are very much on the radar of yet another generation of kids who grow up to be Dallas fans. Logically, the football stars growing up in that "another generation'' therefore include eventual NFL standouts who find The Star to be appealing.
And the number of NFL players from other teams who have with some subtlety (or maybe none at all) whispered to Parsons or even to Jones about wishing to come here? We will take Micah's word for it.
But then comes the central problem to Micah's pitch - and along with it an accidental admission of what is truly wrong with this franchise.
"You,'' Parsons essentially announced to the 2025 NFL free agency class, "are going to get more marketing dollars than you ever had - in one year - than you've ever had!''
This is undeniably true.
But this mentality is, to me, undeniably also the Cowboys' biggest flaw.
Is the best thing Parsons can say about signing with the Cowboys is that a free agent will have a better chance at a national beer commercial or a shoe endorsement here than he will in Green Bay or Buffalo or Tampa Bay? That's it?
Part of this isn't Parsons' fault; his three years here at The Star have indoctrinated him into thinking that getting attention, getting an endorsement and even getting a podcast is ... the thing.
.I long ago coined the phrase, "Sometimes Jerry's Cowboys seem like a marketing company that plays football on the side.''
And as I have opined, there is a natural osmosis-driven offshoot of Jerry doing his business his way (see his Netflix movie trailer in which the tagline is "Keep 'em talkin' ... It's a soap opera 365 days a year.''
That offshoot is that attention and glamor and drama - and the ensuing non-football revenue that can result - are driving forces here.
So the next thing you know, Dak Prescott got richer faster from TV commercials than he did from actually playing quarterback. And team VP Charlotte Jones stars in a Ford ad. And the front yard here at The Star is sponsored by Tostitos.
And if some of the 53 guys in the locker room - including newly signed free agents - are here in large part because they might get a yogurt sponsorship or free boots from Justin?
They will have come here for the wrong reason. And Cowboys Nation is left with another of my phrases, "#53Brands'' ... which means you've got 53 guys who talk about a "brotherhood'' (and who think they mean it) but who are also focused on, to quote Micah, "More marketing dollars than you ever had - in one year - than you've ever had!''
Green Bay and Buffalo and Minnesota can't offer that. So, players sign with the Packers or the Bills or the Vikings for other reasons.
And those teams are in the playoffs, and maybe part of the reason is that they've got guys who signed on to play football first.
But here? In Micah's vision, and maybe the Joneses' vision, too?
Players should want to play for the Cowboys for reasons other than just football.
And if that's the way Dallas is roster-building? Their players will continue to win more endorsement deals than they do playoff games.