Eagles Lane Johnson Sends Clear Message on Cowboys Star Micah Parsons: Exclusive

Lane Johnson talks like someone who is from Texas, but the Philadelphia Eagles star has proved to be a thorn in the side of the Dallas Cowboys during his NFL career. As fate would have it, both Johnson and Jalen Hurts are Texas natives who play a big role in standing in the way of the Cowboys’ postseason aspirations. During an exclusive interview with Heavy Sports, Johnson opened up on the NFC East rivalry, Micah Parsons’ contract standoff, playing alongside Hurts and his partnership with USAA.

Johnson admits that the Eagles are preparing to face Parsons when the team takes on the Cowboys to kickoff the NFL season in Week 1. The six-time Pro Bowler also left the door open for things to change given Parsons’ uncertain status, noting that the Eagles are on “standby” regarding his availability.

Parsons is seeking a new contract extension and requested a trade during training camp. Philadelphia is expecting Parsons to primarily line up on left tackle Jordan Mailata’s side, but Johnson added that the pass rusher will have his “full attention” when he is staring down the Cowboys star.

“You know, contract situations, you (look at) different teams,” Johnson told Heavy Sports in the exclusive interview on August 25, 2025. “Some are smooth, some take time. (I expect Parsons to) be out there.

“He’s (not primarily) on my side. He’s going to be on Jordan’s side. When he’s on my side, he has my full attention. Just (for) player he is. Yeah, man. As players, you see different guys (dealing with) contract stuff. Trey Hendrickson, Micah. It’s just part of the business.

“… We’ll see. We’re kind of on standby with that but obviously out of our control. We’ll see what happens Week 1.”

Lane Johnson on Cowboys vs. Eagles: ‘It’s Just One of the Best Rivalries in Sports’

The two stars share an interesting connection as Parsons grew up less than two hours away from Philadelphia in nearby Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Unless something changes with his ongoing contract saga, Parsons is now one of the faces of the Eagles’ biggest rivals after also starring at Penn State.

Similarly, Johnson grew up in East Texas to a family full of Cowboys fans. Now, Johnson is doing his best to prevent the Cowboys from climbing back to the top of the NFC East.

“It’s just one of the best rivalries in sports,” Johnson remarked when asked about the ongoing Cowboys-Eagles feud. “Two totally different cultures.

“But yeah, the thing they do share is that they’re both extremely passionate. I think that’s why you see the rivalry that you do is that you have so many people that care. Yeah man, as you play and the years add up, it becomes just another game.”

Lane Johnson Teamed Up With USAA & Team Whistle for Intense Training Session

The Cowboys will be dealing with an offensive lineman who added some military training to his workout regimen. Johnson partnered with USAA and Team Whistle “for a day in the life going through the military’s ultimate test – SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) training.”

As part of the intense day, Johnson had a “crash course in navigation, fire making and survival skills, and was put under a simulated mission of evading enemies in hostile territory in Team Whistle’s ‘I Could Do That’ series,” per USAA.

Fans can check out the above video to see how Johnson fared with the intense tasks. Johnson and the Eagles are 6.5-point favorites against the Cowboys for the Week 1 clash, per FanDuel.