The contract situation between the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons is delicately poised as the two sides continue to work towards getting a new deal done. With the expectation that Micah will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in football, or at least close to it with roughly a $40 million APY contract thought to be where the two sides are, it is taking time to get the deal across the line.

Of course, owner Jerry Jones and his comments on Micah’s agent have raised some eyebrows, but Jerry’s statement about Parsons’ value to the team when on a big contract might have slipped through the cracks. Parsons wants to be a leader of the locker room, and for Jerry, when talking about the huge figures regarding Micah’s contract, Jones gave a rather interesting answer as to whether Micah, as a potential franchise leader, impacts what kind of contract he gets.

“Micah has to be the player that he wants paid as,” Jones said. “He has to be a tremendous leader for the Dallas Cowboys. He has the skill, the capacity mentally, so for us to justify the kinds of dollars we’re talking about, he has to literally lead the way, and he’s so substantive that if he’s halfway not leading it’s glaring. So Micah has to really lead, I think he’s committed to do that.” Jones also coyly made mention of Micah’s agent, David Mulughata, who some think the owner has publicly “disrespected.” (Read more here.)

“The agent won’t be within a million miles of him when we’re executing on what I’m talking about right here,” Jones said. “That will be something that we might be visiting about on a week-to-week basis.” So yes, Micah will be getting (we think) a shiny new contract that puts him at the very top of his position, but make no mistake-that comes with certain non-negotiables.

Parsons wants to be a leader. He has to show it through his actions, and if he’s getting a monster contract, it appears that Micah being the best version of himself for the organization is something that Jerry expects, especially when Parsons will be earning $40+ million per year.

Related: Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Gets Brutally Honest About High Draft Pick So we have heard a lot about what the Cowboys should be doing for Micah when it comes to his new contract, but Jerry has just stated that this isn’t a one-way street. If Parsons gets the deal he wants, Dallas wants him to be the player they know he can be, and being a franchise leader, it appears, is the bare minimum.