The Dallas Cowboys will almost certainly get a new contract extension done with Micah Parsons, but they’ll have their circus before the ink hits the paper.
DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys – well, Jerry Jones – love offseason drama. It’s how his team stays in the news after it became the most valuable sports franchise in the world. So, it’s no surprise that there’s another contract showdown brewing between the team and one of its star players, just one year after the Cowboys had trouble working out extensions with two of their other All-Pros to the detriment of the roster.
This time around, it’s edge rusher Micah Parsons who’s up for a new deal, and as per usual, the organization is dragging its feet. On the plus side, currently, there doesn’t appear to be any ill will between the two sides, and Parsons has played the role of good soldier, but eventually, time makes fools of us all and the Cowboys often overstay their welcome in these talks.
The All-Pro defender has previously said that he doesn’t need to top the market or make $40 million annually, but that was before the massive deals for other top pass rushers Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. Now it appears as though Parsons will not only surpass that high water mark, but he’s also heading towards a new record for the biggest contract for a player that isn’t a quarterback.
Just how big or what the deal would be structured like is unknown, but the expectation is that Parsons will become the highest-paid defensive player ever. To make things even more intriguing, the Cowboys’ notorious owner and general manager has been trying to work out a deal with Parsons without his agent.
It’s extremely rare for players to work out deals for themselves, but when it does happen, it’s because the player doesn’t have an agent. In Parsons’ case, he has an agent, and he’s considered one of the best in the business in David Mulugheta.
What’s also unclear is if Jones and Mulugheta haven’t seen eye to eye on an extension or if this is the owner trying to get the deal past the finish line. Either way, this isn’t out of character for Jones, who has spoken directly to other players about contracts in the past, with DeMarcus Lawrence, Emmitt Smith, Jason Witten, and Tony Romo, notably being among them.
Jones is certainly someone who believes he’s mastered the art of the deal, and no one values his own opinion more than Jones does of himself. If he thinks talking with Parsons directly will help get the extension done, Jones will do his own bidding.
However, the owner did state directly that no deal is imminent, which leaves many more questions about why Jones was discussing a contract without an agent. Parsons is his own man and, by all accounts, a very savvy businessman, so the likelihood that he’d agree to an extension without his agent is highly unlikely.
After the news hit on social media, Parsons expressed that he wouldn’t do a deal without Mulugheta being involved.
This latest development looks noteworthy on the surface but is par for the course with the Cowboys. It’s an unnecessary distraction that seems to come part and parcel with being one of the top performers in an organization that mostly marches to the beat of one man, even if it makes a spectacle out of the dealings with a player deserving of being paid like one of the best players in the league.
That part continues to make little sense to outside observers. Why mess with your best players, the ones you’re depending on to bring home an elusive sixth Super Bowl?
Yet, despite all the chaos involved with Parsons’ contract, the good news is that both sides remain in good standing. New head coach Brian Schottenheimer even expects Parsons to show up at the team’s offseason program – something that he has skipped the last few years – to show he’s a leader on Dallas’ defense.
If we’ve learned anything over the past few years, it’s that the Cowboys organization is going to do things their own way. Jerry and Stephen Jones don’t care about perception or how they’re going to look to outside observers; their goal on these mega extensions is to get them signed as favorable to the team as possible, and they’ll use any means to achieve it.
Playing things the Jones way has been a fruitless endeavor that wastes time and even ultimately harms roster building, as the Cowboys have been at the top of the market, or set it, with nearly every huge contract they’ve worked out. Dak Prescott set the bar for quarterbacks (twice), while CeeDee Lamb slotted second at wide receiver, and the expectation is that Parsons will reset the market as well.
Barring a Luka Doncic-level shocker, the Cowboys and Micah Parsons will come to an agreement on an extension, and the money will be the highest for a non-QB in league history. Everything else is just filling in the time before it happens, potentially even shooting themselves in the foot. It’s unnecessary because everyone knows Parsons will get his deal, but it can’t happen without the histrionics prior to it being signed.
It’s just the way Jones and his $10.1 billion franchise likes it.
Do you think the Cowboys will sign Parsons to a new deal before training camp? Share your predictions with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.