Stephen A. Smith addresses Micah Parsons' demands to Dallas Cowboys: 'I need this man to be quiet'

Micah Parsons recently issued a “call to action” to the Dallas Cowboys front office, namely owner Jerry Jones, to be more “aggressive” in building out the roster this offseason. Now, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is telling the outspoken Cowboys linebacker to “shhh” and “to be quiet” … for his own good.

“Micah Parsons, I say this affectionately, I need this man to be quiet,” Smith said on Friday morning’s First Take on ESPN. “I really do. I need him to be quiet.”

Parsons, who has his own podcast “The Edge with Micah Parsons” on YouTube, expressed his desire for Dallas to be more active on the free agent market following a Make-A-Wish foundation event in Grapevine this week. That message comes just days after the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles locked up the Super Bowl LIX championship thanks in large part to contributions from free agent addition Saquon Barkley, a running back the Cowboys certainly could’ve used this season.

“The talent is there. We’ve just got to be aggressive the same way [other teams] did,” Parsons said, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Nick Harris. “I don’t want to sit back and watch other [teams] build and build and us stay the same. Definitely some call to action.

“I want to see us become aggressive and get some players that will come in and make an impact. I want to see us bring back our own players. That’s just as important. Let’s see what we can do there.”

Stephen A. Smith to Micah Parsons: ‘Shhh. Get your paper’

Only, at least according to Stephen A. Smith, Parsons’ message is ultimately couterproductive to what he he should be focused on — his own pending contract negotiations.

“I want you to get your paper, bro. That’s what I want to do. It’s rare that I see a person, or an athlete, courtesy of his mouth, get in the way of his money. That’s my concern with Micah Parsons,” Smith continued. “I’ve seen plenty of athletes get in the way of their money with their performance, this brother gets in the way of his money by talking and trying to do the right thing. I applaud him for it. But this is Jerry Jones we’re talking about here.

“Dak Prescott is the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb is the second-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL. Yeah, they got their money. But Jerry Jones waited until the last minute to give it to them. What do you think he’s going to do with you? Shhhh. Get your paper.”

A closer look at the Cowboys’ offseason

Parsons’ future is going to be a big question for the Cowboys to answer since he’s due for an extension, but there are other needs. Dallas is projected to be $2.4 million over the salary cap, according to Spotrac, with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb as the biggest cap hits after signing their lucrative extensions a season ago.

The Cowboys are coming off a 7-10 season in 2024 amid a slew of injuries and a relatively quiet offseason. The franchise added 11 players in free agency – all of whom signed one-year deals – but the highest-paid player of that group was linebacker Eric Kendricks, who made $3 million.

This year, though, Parsons wants to see the Cowboys make a charge at some of the big names on the market. That isn’t just free agency, though. He also called on Jones to make a move to bring Myles Garrett to Dallas after he requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns.

“Yo, go get us Myles Garrett,” Parsons said on Up and Adams on Radio Row ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “What are we talking about here? Yeah, let’s go get Myles Garrett. … I’m a defensive person. I don’t really believe in the offense because I’ve seen the best offenses shut down in the biggest moments.”

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.