WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.
The biggest task on the Dallas Cowboys offseason agenda is getting a contract extension done for star defensive end Micah Parsons. A deal that is expected to come in at north of $40 million per season, the details and specifics of the contract are expected to be complex.
Speaking at the NFL League Meeting on Wednesday, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said that he has met with Parsons for a total of “five to six hours” over the course of the last few weeks, and the structure of the contract is mostly in place.
“I’ve spent five to six hours with him myself,” Jones said. “Had a lot of discussions, most of the issues we’re in agreement on. We’ve discussed it all...Term, guarantees, money. All of those things, we’ve had a meeting of the minds on.”
If the big pieces of the contract are in agreement between both sides, what is holding up a deal from being finalized? One key player in the contract negotiations has been left out: Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta.
Mulugheta, 43, is widely regarded as one of the top agents in the NFL. In 2020, Forbes named him the top agent in the league and eighth among all sports agents across the world. Despite his well-know stature, Jones indicated on Wednesday that he doesn’t care too much about looping in Parsons’ represenation and is more worried about what Parsons himself thinks of the deal.
“I’m the one who has to sign the check and Micah is the one who has to agree to it,” Jones said. “That’s the straightest way to get there is the one who writes the check and the one who is agreeing to it talking. That’s the principle that’s involved here. I understand all of the other issues, but as you know it’s not uncommon for me to negotiate directly with players. I’ve done that. We are there.”
Jones went so far as to say that he doesn’t know the name of the agent representing Parsons. A few hours after Jones’ comments, Parsons responded on X.
“David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without David Mulugheta involved,” Parsons said. “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 back doors in this contract negotiation.”
Fortunately for Parsons or not, Jones indicated that there will be more than enough time to loop Mulugheta in. Despite having most of the framework in place, Jones could also be keeping a close eye on how Parsons approaches this offseason before signing the check.
Last offseason, Parsons was absent for all voluntary team workouts and did not arrive until mandatory minicamp in June. With DeMarcus Lawrence, Eric Kendricks and other defensive leaders not in Dallas anymore, Jones is watching closely at how Parsons steps up as a leader in the coming weeks.
“Micah has to be the player that he wants paid as,” Jones said. “He has to be a tremendous leader for the Dallas Cowboys. He has the skill, he has the capacity mentally. And so for us to justify the kinds of dollars we’re talking about with any basis, he has to literally lead the way. He’s so substantive that if he’s halfway not leading, it’s glaring. Micah has to really lead, I think he’s committed to do that. The agent won’t be within a million miles of him when we’re executing on what I’m talking about right here.”
While the prevailing thought around the NFL is that getting a contract extension such as Parsons’ deal done sooner rather than later can save money toward the salary cap down the line, Jones is perfectly content with waiting it out.
“I don’t view it as urgent at all,” he said. “Some say, ‘Well, using the basis the earlier you get something done the cheaper.’ Well, the earlier you get something done, a lot of times the more mistakes you make. You might want to see a few more cards played, not just with that particular negotiation but with the whole team...I’d rather pay more and get it right than to pay less and screw it up.”
Despite other contract extensions around the league such as the Raiders’ deal with defensive end Maxx Crosby and the Browns’ deal with defensive end Myles Garrett driving up the price for a Parsons deal, Jones doesn’t view outside factors as pertinent to the Parsons negotiation.
“I’ve never looked at how other people are paying, because more often than not they are not comparable situations,” Jones said. “They just happen to fit the timing and fit the position. What I do fits me and fits the circumstances behind what I’m doing.”
Regardless, Jones did say that the Cowboys are further along right now than they were a year ago with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, which played out with Lamb holding out for the entirety of training camp. Whether that means a deal gets done with Parsons before training camp or not, there is still confidence emanating that Parsons will be in Dallas for the long haul.
Even if things get confusing or messy along the way.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.