The Dallas Cowboys’ insistence on “winning” contract negotiations with star players has been a major contributor to their shortcomings over the years. Ironically, they often end up getting taken to the cleaners, allowing other teams to establish the market instead of setting it themselves.

To make matters worse, Jerry and Stephen Jones also insist on negotiating through the media, isolating and antagonizing players with snide remarks. This was on full display in negotiations with Micah Parsons before the relationship splintered to the point that he was traded to Green Bay.

Cowboys fans would give anything for the front office to extend George Pickens without any nonsense and drama.

That’s usually a tall order, but Stephen Jones is taking a different approach with the All-Pro receiver, telling reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting in Phoenix:

“We’re just not gonna comment as we move forward on negotiations on where that stands or anything like that.”

Dallas Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones declines to comment on George Pickens’ contract

Pressed on whether Pickens would report for offseason workouts without an extension, the 61-year-old didn’t offer much, responding simply, “I answered your question.”

Again, the Joneses are no strangers to bashing players through the media. Cowboys fans might remember fans chanting “Pay Micah!” during Jerry Jones’ speech at the team’s opening training camp ceremony last summer.

Stephen responded to the chants, acknowledging that he wanted to pay Parsons, while stressing that the phone works both ways.

“We want to pay Micah, too; he’s got to want to be paid.”

The Cowboys’ EVP has made a lot of tone-deaf comments over the years, but that was, without question, one of his worst.

Obviously, Parsons wanted to get paid. He purportedly wanted to get a deal done before the 2025 new league year so that Dallas would have maximum flexibility in free agency. Things went haywire after Parsons apparently backed out of a handshake agreement with Jerry Jones to consult his agent, David Mulugheta. That’s when Jones nixed talks and refused to speak with Mulugheta, creating a standoff that quickly turned ugly.

Dare we say that the Joneses have learned their lesson from the Parsons debacle? Jerry has avoided creating headlines and kept a lower profile, while Stephen’s refusal to comment on a high-profile negotiation would’ve been unthinkable a year ago.

It’s still early in the Pickens saga, but the Cowboys haven’t committed a serious public unforced error. That’s progress.