The contract disputes between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys seemingly have no end in sight.
As it stands right now, both sides are holding firm in their stances on the situation, with Parsons' trade request coming as a result of his perceived mistreatment during the process by the front office. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have also not budged on their side, either, and have, by all accounts, not had any communication with Parsons's agent David Mulugheta.
In fact, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones has even made insinuations that Parsons and his camp have been the ones holding the deal up and have been unwilling to negotiate a deal.
MORE:Cowboys' Jerry Jones explains invisible 'agreement' with Micah Parsons
"It doesn't change anything," Jones said when asked about backlash from fans over the negotiations. "We want to pay Micah, too. He's got to want to be paid, too."
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons walks onto the practice field at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons walks onto the practice field at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility / Chris Jones-Imagn Images
Now, Mulugheta is firing back at those claims, telling Bobby Belt of 105.3 the Fan that he himself has in fact reached out to the organization in order to start the negotiation process well before the start of the 2024 season. However, according to him, it was the Cowboys that kicked the can down the road on the contract talks.
"(Mulugheta) said after the 24 season, 'saw them at the combine and told them, we're open for business'. Basically said 'We're ready to do a deal. We're ready to work on an extension, if you guys want to," Belt said. "This is last year. Last year. Last year, this was so this is 18 months ago. They told them 'we're ready to do a deal'. So they are disputing the claim that they haven't wanted to get a deal done. They've wanted to wait. David said, 'No, we told them we were ready to go.'
MORE:Micah Parsons, agent 'very serious' about Cowboys trade request
"He said the Cowboys had told them at the time, 'We got a lot of things we got to work through right now, particularly Dak's contract is a priority at the moment, and he said they totally understood it. He went, 'Yep, handle what you got to handle. Understand it. That's a pressing issue. Just let you know we're open for business. When you guys are done with that, you guys can, can hit us up.'"
According to Mulugheta, that wasn't the only time he tried to kickstart the process either.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons enters the field during training camp at the River Ridge Fields.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons enters the field during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
After Parsons focused his attention on the 2024 season and played without a new deal, Mulugheta once again reached out to the Cowboys in hopes of beginning talks on a new deal. But instead of making any headway in those discussions, the team has yet to speak to him.
"Well, obviously, Dak didn't get done till Week 1 rolls around. Yeah, then Micah was focused on the season, " Belt said. "But because that took so long, that kind of ended the opportunity to get anything done in '24 as soon as the season began. So they then communicated again to the Cowboys in 25 this past year, that they were ready to do business again, and nothing has transpired, obviously, since then. So the official word from them is that they have communicated on two separate occasions over the course of 18 months, and it just hasn't happened yet."
Obviously, this is just one side of the story, but if what Mulugheta says is true, it casts serious doubt over the Cowboys credibility and intentions throughout this process.
And based on the way the team is carrying themselves in the wake of the trade request, things could be getting even further apart than they already were.
—Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI—
Shocking Micah Parsons landing spot named amid Cowboys contract drama
Cowboys release first unofficial depth chart of 2025 season
NFL Network analyst's 'trusted source' says Micah Parsons may not play for Cowboys
Cowboys' coach Brian Schottenheimer roasts Colin Cowherd for visor criticism
PHOTOS: Meet Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Kelsey Wetterberg