Jerry Jones channels his inner Donald Trump with cryptic message about Micah Parsons contract standoff

As negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys and star pass rusher Micah Parsons continue to drag on, team owner Jerry Jones channeled the President of the United States when addressing the contract talks.

Appearing on Fox and Friends on Thursday morning, the longtime team owner spoke about his attempts to keep Parsons in 'The Big D' long-term.

Jones told the panel of hosts that he wants to balance keeping Parsons on his team while leaving enough space for others - referring to it as 'the art of the deal', which either intentionally or inadvertently references the 1987 book credited to Donald Trump and journalist Tony Schwartz.

'Micah is a great player, not a good player but a great player,' Jones told the show. He knows more than anyone that it's a team thing. 

'And so I know everybody's tired of hearing this, but you've got to put this puzzle together so that you can have some other people out there playing with Micah. 

'That's the art of the deal, and that's why we're trying to get done and we're trying to make this thing work. 

'But we have all the appreciation in the world for what he can mean to the years ahead. We're proud to have you.'

Parsons has requested a trade this summer during the contract standoff as the two-time All-Pro looks to earn a significant raise for his next deal. He's in the final year of his rookie contract.

Jones has played hardball with Parsons throughout the process, but former Super Bowl-winning Cowboys QB Troy Aikman believes that Parsons has some leverage as well. 

'His leverage is that they can't win without him,' Aikman said during the Monday night preseason game between the Commanders and Bengals on ESPN.

He added moments later: 'I do think the Cowboys are gonna be better than what a lot of people project.'

The Cowboys' win total has been set at 7.5 by sportsbooks in Vegas - a number which Aikman sees his ex-team doing 'much better' than.

Still, he doesn't see them being truly competitive without Parsons in the lineup. 

'I like what [coach] Brian Schottenheimer has shown in training camp and going into the year, and they've got some things that I like about the team in general,' he said.

'But without Micah Parsons, I just don't think they're gonna be able to slow anybody down.

Aikman later added that he expects the Cowboys to get a deal done with Parsons, but admitted: 'I don't think anybody knows what Jerry [Jones] is ever gonna do,' as Parsons continues to be linked with a trade out of Dallas.

While it's not exactly clear what Parsons is seeking contractually, he previously spoke about 'guaranteeing somebody almost $200million.'

The defensive standout is negotiating for a new deal following big paydays for fellow pass rushers T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, which will pay each of them at least $40million on average per year.

And Aikman expressed on Monday that he believes Parsons' price will only go up the longer the Cowboys take to strike a deal with him.

In a statement posted to social media, Parsons acknowledged that he and Jones previously discussed what he would want in his contract, but said he didn't believe it was a 'formal negotiation.'

He added that the team has not had discussions with his agent, David Mulugheta, once about a deal.

Jones, meanwhile, has previously downplayed Parsons' trade request and urged fans not to 'lose any sleep' over the situation.

When asked whether he was considering Parsons' trade request, the Dallas owner said: 'I'm not. The facts are that I think the world of Micah, and that's just a part of negotiation.

'I don't place that with any real seriousness, Micah's got a bad back. That's like being traded, we all weight it the same.'

Dallas is just over two weeks from opening up its season at the Eagles on September 4.