Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said that ongoing contract negotiations with linebacker Micah Parsons have been hampered by the involvement of Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta. Jones stated that he offered Parsons a deal in March that would make him the highest-guaranteed non-quarterback in the National Football League, but claimed the proposal was not signed.
Parsons is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract with the Cowboys. Earlier this month, he announced a trade request after difficulties starting formal talks on an extension. Both Jones and Parsons confirmed they had met once to discuss terms, in what both described as a one-on-one meeting held in March.
Jones described their discussions as productive, emphasizing his view that an agreement had been reached on financial details and other aspects of a new contract. According to Jones: “We’ve got this resolved in my mind for the Dallas Cowboys. We’ve got it done. And if the agent wants to finish up the details, which he should, and do all the paperwork, he can do that. And we’re ready to go. But as far as the amount of money, the years, the guarantees, all of that, we’ve negotiated that (…) It would have made him the highest guaranteed player other than a quarterback in the NFL. We need him to win. And we should have him to win. We could have him for three years like it is right now. We can have him three years without having a disagreement,” Jones said.
However, Parsons expressed frustration about how negotiations developed during their meeting, stating he thought it was intended to address his leadership role rather than contractual matters.
In an interview conducted by former Cowboys player Michael Irvin and published Thursday night on YouTube, Jones again assigned responsibility for stalled talks to Mulugheta: “When Parsons announced he wanted a trade, he said it was in part because Jones would not negotiate with his agent.” He confirmed he had not included Mulugheta directly in discussions but instead sent over a new contract proposal for signature; according to Jones’ account this offer was rejected.
Following publication of Irvin’s interview with Jones online Thursday evening, Parsons removed references to himself as a member of the Cowboys from social media profiles on X and Instagram and changed his team designation to “TBD.”
Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer said he remains optimistic about Parsons’ availability when Dallas opens its season against Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys will host another preseason matchup against Atlanta Falcons Friday in Arlington; however Parsons has yet to participate during preseason play so far.
Information reported here comes from Michael Irvin’s interview with Jerry Jones along with statements issued at official team news conferences and previous coverage.
