You almost feel bad for Dallas Cowboys fans. Somehow, the most popular team in America is also the least competent. The Cowboys are always good enough to put butts in seats and talking heads in front of mics, but there’s a reason Dallas flames out in the postseason (or beforehand) year in and year out. Jerry Jones does not know the first thing about actually building a contender.

It’s hard to ascribe logic to how Jones has handled this offseason. Dallas is better than it was a year ago, especially if health prevails, but we are in Week 1 of the preseason and Micah Parsons is still engaged in an active hold-in. He even requested a trade.

Rather than rewarding one of the most dominant defenders in modern NFL history, Jones has decided to engage in the least convincing game of ‘he said, she said’ ever committed to the public record. Parsons outlined all the ways in which Dallas wronged him in an extremely thoughtful and believable social media post. Jones, on the other hand, keeps squawking nonsense into the nearest microphone about how this is all part of the plan and how Parsons may not really deserve the contract he so clearly does.

So, buckle in, Cowboys fans… the Micah Parsons Watch will dominate all headlines for the next few weeks.

Micah Parsons remains the focus of Cowboys training camp amid trade demand

Despite a mounting frustration with the Cowboys front office and an active trade request, Parsons has handled this situation with incredible professionalism. He has been at camp recently, talking with coaches and teammates, even if he’s not participating in drills.

In his trade request statement on social media, Parsons noted that he was at one point willing to accept a discount, but that Jones needed to get in contact with his agent to hammer out details. Instead, the Cowboys decided to pretend as though Parsons had already shook on a new deal and that going through his agent was him walking back on a promise. It’s one of the most baffling stories in recent memory.

We know Parsons wants to be a Cowboy, deep down. He may not like Jerry Jones. He may feel utterly disrespected, and he should. But this dude has been a vocal face of the organization since his arrival. Few players have taken their loyalty to a city and a clubhouse more seriously. That is illustrated by Parsons’ willingness to keep showing up.

Micah Parsons made a cameo at Cowboys practice on Thursday

Parsons was at practice on Thursday with the Cowboys defense. He did not appear until reporters were filing out of the building, however. The 26-year-old reportedly missed the earlier portion of drills with a back injury. Jerry Jones did not attend either, which led to intense media speculation. Parsons is not actually practicing, so the idea that he would not attend because of a “back injury” left many in a conspiratorial mood.

Still, much remains unclear. Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan recently reported that many around the league believe Parsons’ trade request is serious and that the relationship with Jones is “in need of repair.”

“I don’t think [the relationship] is lost, but it’s in need of repair,” Belt said (h/t CBS Sports). “The way things are currently, they want out. The Cowboys have to be the ones to extend the olive branch and say, ‘hey, we’ll fix this.'”

Jerry Jones needs to put his ego aside

The point here is simple: until Dallas goes above and beyond to win Parsons back over, this situation will not resolve. That will require Jerry Jones to check his ego in a public sphere, which is unprecedented. So Cowboys fans aren’t out of the weeds yet.

This storyline will not conclude with rainbows and butterflies in the immediate future from the looks of it. Parsons is dug in. So are the Cowboys, for only god knows why. And until things finally boil over, in one direction or another, the entire NFL fandom (and especially Cowboys fans) will remain on Micah Watch for every practice and preseason game.