Was Micah Parsons prepared to hold out and miss regular season games without a new contract from the Dallas Cowboys? Not according to his agent.
Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta appeared on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday and was asked whether Parsons would have played in the Cowboys’ season opener had he not been traded, even without a new contract. Mulugheta said the Cowboys had never been told Parsons would not play, and that the star edge rusher likely would have been on the field no matter what.
“Never,” Mulugheta said, via Rob Demovsky and Todd Archer of ESPN. “I mean, Micah loves the game too much. He was going to play no matter what.”
Mulugheta added that Parsons “wanted to be a Cowboy,” but that owner Jerry Jones’ refusal to negotiate directly with Mulugheta derailed any chance of a deal. The agent added that his efforts to initiate talks were rebuffed by the Cowboys.
Parsons had not been participating in practice drills with Dallas, which some took as a signal that he would not play in games if it came down to it. Ultimately, it appears Parsons did have a legitimate injury during preseason.
The Cowboys maintained all along that they anticipated Parsons would play in Week 1, even without a new deal. As it turns out, they would have been correct, but the collapse of negotiations led to a trade with Green Bay before that point could be reached.