“When Jerry calls you into his office and busts out the votive candles and lights the votive candles, you know he means business and he wants to sign you without you talking to your agent,” former Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware once quipped about contract talks with owner Jerry Jones, per Rich Eisen. It’s a scene as Texan as Friday Night Lights—a billionaire owner, a star player, and the unspoken dance of dollars and loyalty. For decades, Jones has played this game like a seasoned quarterback, threading deals between smoke-filled rooms and stadium grandeur. But this offseason, the music’s stalled.
The Cowboys’ front office, usually as predictable as a Texas summer, is stuck in a holding pattern. And at the center? A 25-year-old phenom who’s rewriting defensive playbooks—and maybe the rules of negotiation. Enter Micah Parsons. Since his 2021 debut, the linebacker-turned-pass-rush nightmare has been the Cowboys’ brightest spark, earning Pro Bowl nods every year and terrorizing quarterbacks.
Yet here we are, deep into the offseason, and Parsons’s contract extension remains as elusive as a Cowboys playoff run. The question isn’t if he’ll get paid—it’s why the deal hasn’t inked itself yet.
And according to Dallas reporter Clarence Hill, the delay boils down to one glaring detail: Jerry Jones hasn’t looped in Parsons’s agent, David Mulugheta. “Jerry Jones already has a handshake deal with Micah Parsons for the richest non-quarterback contract in NFL history… They haven’t got the deal done because Jerry and Steven have yet to include the agent,” Hill revealed on The Rich Eisen Show.
“And Micah is not signing a deal without his agent signing off on it.” Jones, famous for cutting out middlemen, has yet to formally engage Mulugheta—a powerhouse agent who also represents the freshly Steelers-turned-Dallas WR George Pickens. Meanwhile, Parsons’ résumé speaks louder than a halftime locker room speech.
52.5 sacks in four seasons, trailing only Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt. Projections suggest a $201 million deal, making him the NFL’s highest-paid defender. However, the Cowboys’ front office, juggling extensions for Tyler Smith and Trevon Diggs, seems content to let the clock tick. “Jerry’s already committed, he said, ‘We’ve had a meeting of the minds on everything in regard to contract, money, guarantee, bonus, everything,’” Hill added. But until Mulugheta’s at the table, this Texas-sized deal stays parked.
Critics have jabbed Parsons for his off-field ventures, like his The Edge with Micah Parsons podcast. Ex-teammate DeMarcus Lawrence even quipped, “Maybe if you spent less time tweeting and more time winning, I wouldn’t have left.” But Hill insists Jones isn’t sweating it: “I think Jerry would have rather have 11 All-Pro players to do a podcast. Micah Parsons is the only player on defense in the front seven that’s a Pro Bowl player.” The real issue?
Dallas’ defense lacks star power beyond Parsons. Without more ‘difference-makers,’ as Hill put it, even a $40 million-a-year linebacker can’t single-handedly stop Patrick Mahomes. Parsons, meanwhile, isn’t sulking. He showed up to voluntary workouts, stressing, “I want to hit the ground running.” It’s a goodwill play—one that echoes Emmitt Smith’s 1993 holdout gamble, which paid off with a ring and a record deal. But goodwill only lasts so long. On the other hand, David Mulugheta isn’t just any agent.
Parsons’ agent factor: why Mulugheta matters
Mulugheta negotiated Deshaun Watson’s $230 million fully guaranteed deal and represents 18 first-round picks. Jones’s reluctance to engage him feels like skipping the pit crew at a NASCAR race—you might finish, but not without sparks. Mulugheta’s track record suggests he’ll push for guarantees that dwarf Myles Garrett’s $123.6 million. And Jones, who’s shelled out for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, knows the drill: Star players get paid, or they walk. Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ recent trade for Pickens adds another layer.
With Pickens eyeing a $100 million extension, Dallas can’t afford to fumble the Parsons deal. If Pickens balls out, they might recoup a third-round pick. But losing Parsons? That’s a franchise reset. Besides, Parsons’ situation mirrors NBA free agency sagas. Think LeBron’s 2010 decision, but with less fanfare and more cowboy hats. Jones has mastered the art of the carrot, dangling promises while testing a player’s patience. But Parsons holds leverage, too.
Credit: @AroundTheNFL
At 25, he’s entering his prime, and rivals like Philly or San Francisco would gladly back up the Brinks truck. As training camp looms, the pressure mounts. Will Jones finally call Mulugheta? Or will this stalemate bleed into September, overshadowing the season like a cloud over AT&T Stadium? History offers a clue: Jerry rarely loses a staredown. But Parsons isn’t just another contract—he’s the heartbeat of Dallas’ defense.
In the NFL, timing is everything. As novelist John Steinbeck wrote, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” For Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons, the plan is clear—but the clock’s ticking. Will Dallas secure its defensive cornerstone, or will this standoff become another “what if” in Cowboys lore?
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