Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman has declared what he thinks is Micah Parsons’ leverage over the franchise in their ongoing contract standoff. The defensive end is in the last season of his rookie contract with the Cowboys, but talks of an extension have stalled so far.The former first-round pick has not been participating in practice as the team continues camping ahead of the regular season. On the other hand, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has also refused to budge. He told reporters, “All of it’s risk,” when asked if he would rather risk trading Parsons or hand him a new contract.In a clip shared by Awful Announcing on X, Aikman disagreed with Jones’ position, pointing out that Parsons has leverage on the Cowboys. He said:“His leverage is they can’t win without him. I do think the Cowboys are going to be better than what a lot of people project. I saw something where the pundits think that the over-under is 7.5 wins on the Cowboys. I think they’re going to be much better than that. But without Micah Parsons, I just don’t think they’re going to be able to slow anybody down.”The three-time Super Bowl champion continued:“I mean, he is a total game-wrecker, and he’s proven that. 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.”Micah Parsons and the Cowboys: from first-round selection to transfer requestThe Cowboys selected Micah Parsons with the No. 12 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. His rookie contract with the franchise is a four-year deal worth $17 million. However, it includes an optional fifth year, which the Cowboys exercised in 2024.He handed in his trade request on Aug. 1, posting a long explainer on X to address the situation. He wrote:“Yes, I wanted to be here. I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet… Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here. I no longer want to be held to close-door negotiations without my agent present."I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans, and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.”The Cowboys start their 2025 season with a trip to Philadelphia on Sept. 4.