Jerry Jones is dug in on the Micah Parsons negotiations. And two weeks before the Dallas Cowboys open the season, he didn’t exactly extend an olive branch.
Jones took part of the negotiations public when he was on Michael Irvin’s podcast. Jones met with Parsons privately months ago and thought he had an agreement with the star defensive end on a new deal. But Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta, one of the most powerful agents in sports, wasn’t involved in those negotiations. He let Jones know that he didn’t care about the deal Parsons had talked about with the Cowboys owner, and according to Jones he didn’t sound too pleased.
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“When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our ass,” Jones told Irvin, with an amused look on his face.
Well then.
Jones calling out the agent publicly in that manner isn’t going to help a standoff that has shown few signs of thawing. And time is running out before the season starts.
Micah Parsons’ situation still unresolved
The price for Parsons won’t be cheap. T.J. Watt signed an extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers worth $41 million per season and presumably Parsons will want at least that. The acrimony seems a bit personal though, and not between the player and team. And it doesn’t seem to be entirely about money; Jones said on Irvin’s podcast that he offered Parsons more guaranteed money than any other non-quarterback in NFL history.
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Jones doesn’t seem happy with Mulugheta, though an agent negotiating a player contract is standard in the NFL and all sports.
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“Where is the least important part of this whole equation we’re talking about. What is the least incremental part of the whole equation? The attorney or the agent,” Jones said. “He works for Micah. He’s not the principal here, in any way. In any way. They’re in here to make their percentage.”
It’s a strange stance for Jones to take, and risk not having his best defensive player for the season opener and perhaps beyond over it. Agents negotiate deals. It’s their job. Jones has said that he bought the Cowboys on a handshake deal and seems to believe that Parsons should honor his, though it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison.
If Jones is unwilling to work with the agent, and the agent is not going to go along with a supposed handshake deal made between Parsons and Jones, then where do the two sides go from here?
When will Parsons play this season?
Jones has made other veiled threats through the process, an indication that the whole ordeal could get even messier.
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He has brought up Emmitt Smith being unsigned in 1993 two games into the season before a contract was signed. That indicates Jones is willing to hold his ground even if it means Parsons misses games. The 1993 Cowboys could afford to start in an 0-2 hole. They were one of the most talented teams ever and went on to win the Super Bowl. The 2025 Cowboys aren’t on that level, especially if Parsons misses any games.
Jones has also suggested he would use the franchise tag, maybe even two, on Parsons as he did with quarterback Dak Prescott. While that would mean two very nice one-year contracts for Parsons, he wants a long-term deal. But the franchise tag gives the Cowboys leverage. Jones could drag things out a couple more years. Jones also has said repeatedly that Parsons is under contract with the Cowboys. He has been holding in as the negotiations have stalled.
Negotiations can often speed up quickly when there’s a deadline, and the Sept. 4 opener in Philadelphia is a big date on the calendar. Parsons could theoretically sign shortly before that game and still play, though with every day that passes it gets more difficult. Even for a great player like Parsons, it’s hard to play in a regular-season game after missing all of training camp and the preseason.
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But Jones seems willing to sacrifice Parsons missing some games to make his point. And it’s not like Jones’ comments to Irvin get the sides closer to the finish line.