HARRISBURG, Pa. --Micah Parsons has no questions he will get his money when it’s time. As Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys remain in talks with one another, the All-Pro edge rusher has continued to show up to the team’s spring program.
In fact, the contract talks have become such a part of life that Parsons has started to tune it out. Instead, his chase for ‘greatness’ has been powered by his willingness to show up, a show of good faith to the team that drafted him.
The fact the Cowboys and Parsons have yet to come to a contract agreement only motivates the star pass rusher.
“I just work harder. Like, to me, I look at it like if people don’t see your value, you don’t cry and sit down. You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that’s, the difference, Like I go, okay, bet, and I just work,” Parsons said after his camp on Tuesday.
Parsons, 26, does not feel like watching the edge rusher market is of interest to him. Despite Myles Garrett re-setting the market, Parsons is almost guaranteed to get more than Garrett’s $40 million per year. Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt and Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson are embroiled in contract disputes. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions seem primed to extend star Aidan Hutchinson.
That doesn’t affect Parsons that much, though, and he is not in a staring match waiting for one of those edge rushers to ink their deals.
“No, because they numbers got nothing to do with mine, and my numbers ain’t got nothing to do with them,” Parsons said about watching the edge rusher market. “Like, I’m younger than Hendrickson. I mean, Hutchinson’s coming off an injury. Everyone’s circumstances is completely different. Hutch is coming off his third year. Usually guys wait four years. So, it just all depends, Watt. I mean, he’s up there with Myles (Garrett). So, you know, it’s different. Everyone’s circumstance is different.”
Garrett’s contract may have reset the market, but Parsons said it never changed his Overton window. Parsons was always set to break the record for most money for a non-quarterback, with or without Garrett’s money coming in at $40 million per year.
“Not really, because I’m just going to get mine no matter what,” Parsons said about Garrett’s contract affecting his market. “You know what I mean? Like, the markets change every year. Their salary cap went up, like, another 18% this year. So, if you want to know contracts, all the contracts are based off of percentage. Like, each player, a high-paid player, takes a percentage of the salary cap. So, it’s not really the number. It goes off by the salary cap.”
Back in April at the NFL Owners’ Meetings, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he ‘didn’t know’ who Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, was.
“The agent is not a factor here, of something to worry about. And I don’t know his name,” Jones said. “And so my point is, I’m not trying to demean him in any way, but this isn’t about an agent. The agent doesn’t have one thing to do with what we’re doing when we get on the football field against a team. Micah does. To the degree I’m involved, I do. The people that have something to do with what we do going forward relative to our fans and football are me and the player, not the agent.”
Parsons responded on X that he would not be doing a deal with the Cowboys unless Mulugheta was involved in the contract process. Jones said he and Parsons had a ‘meeting of the minds’ on the contract negotiations, but he had yet to make a call to Mulugheta.
“David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without David Mulugheta involved!” Parsons wrote. “Like anyone with good sense I hired experts for a reason. There is no one I trust more when it comes to negotiating contracts than David! There will be no backdoors in this contract negotiation.”
When asked if Mulugheta is now involved, Parsons says he is staying out of the negotiation process and letting Mulugheta handle it.
“I just stay out of David’s handle on it, you know? And, I mean, to be fair, Jerry’s a businessman. Let him handle his business,” Parsons said.
Parsons and the Cowboys will continue to hammer out details. In the recent weeks, all has been quiet on the contract front, but it does not seem like Parsons and the Cowboys have any bad blood as they continue their negotiatons.
Parsons is a four-time Pro Bowler and had 12 sacks in 13 games last season. He has 12 or more sacks in each season of his career to this point.
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