Another Dallas Cowboys legend has offered his two cents regarding Cowboys star linebacker Micah Parsons and his ongoing hold-in. A week after the subject was broached by Emmitt Smith, Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman addressed Parsons’ situation while offering a subtle prediction for how things might play out.

“I’d be shocked if they don’t [come to terms on a new contract] prior to the season,” Aikman said from the broadcast booth on Monday night, “but I don’t know what leverage [Parsons] has, other than the fact that they, in my opinion, won’t be very good without him.”

The 26-year-old Parsons is holding-in for a new contract as he is currently slated to play the 2025 season under his fifth-year option that would pay him a base salary of just over $24 million. While that’s certainly not a bad payday, Parsons would be making roughly $17 million fewer this season than Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who earlier this summer became the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback in terms of average annual salary.

Watt and Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett have raised the bar in terms of what salaries look like for the NFL’s top-tier defensive players. Like Watt, Garrett recently signed extension this with the Browns that will pay him over $40 million annually. That is surely the type of payday Parsons is seeking.

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While Aikman doesn’t think the Cowboys will be very good without Parsons, he does feel his former club has a chance to be better than most prognosticators think they will be this season with Parsons in the fold. He specifically has high hopes for first-time head coach Brian Schottenhiemer.

“I think they got a chance,” Aikman said. “I like what Bryan 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. But without Micah Parsons, I just don’t think they’re gonna slow anybody down. I mean, he’s a total game wrecker, and he’s proven that, and he’s certainly worth every penny that he’s ultimately going to get paid.

“The longer it goes, the more money he’s going to make. So I wouldn’t stress too much if I was him, but that essentially is the only leverage. ”

Aikman alluded to the obvious, which is that Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones will ultimately be the one who decides how this will all go down. Jones is far from a stranger when it comes to handling difficult contracts. In fact, the 82-year-old Jones has had numerous contract situations over the years with notable players, including Smith and current players such as Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

Each of those players ended up re-signing with the Cowboys. That might be the reason why Aikman is confident that the same thing will happen with Parsons.

“Jerry has shown that that he’ll pay top dollar,” Aikman said. “[Parsons] is a generational talent, and like I said, he’s a total game wrecker. He’s proven that. So they’ll get something done. [That] is what I expect.”