FRISCO, Texas – As has been the case for months, the Cowboys and Micah Parsons are at a standstill in contract negotiations for an extension.
Back in March, Cowboys owner and general manager Jones told reporters that he and Parsons had spoken and gone over the terms of the contract in what he believed was a negotiation. In a recent interview with Cowboys Hall of Famer Michael Irvin on his YouTube channel, Jones reiterated that an offer was on the table, but was then taken off because Parsons' agent, David Mulugheta, was not involved.
"Micah and I talked, and then we were going to send it over to the agent. We had our agreements on term, amounts, guarantees, everything," Jones said. "We were going to send it over to the agent, and the agent said 'Don't bother, because we've got all that to negotiate.'"
"Well, I had already negotiated. I had already moved off my mark on several areas. And so the issue very frankly is we've had the negotiation in my mind, and the agent's trying to get his nose in it right now and try to come in there and improve off the market we had already set."
And that wasn't the only thing that Jones claims Mulugheta said to him when he sent over the terms he and Parsons had discussed.
"When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our *." Jones said.
Jones says that the deal he came to with Parsons was one that would make him the highest paid non-QB in NFL history in terms of guaranteed money. In his mind, Mulugheta doesn't have a large role in getting that done and referred back to the fact that Parsons is still playing on the final year of his rookie deal and can be franchise tagged over the next two years.
"I have agreed to give more money than has ever been given in terms of guaranteed money than anyone ever has as far as a defensive player. I've done that," Jones said. "Now, I am the cat that writes the check. Micah's got three years with the Cowboys left… at some point, somebody has to have the say over the other. At some point it has to be that way."
"My job is managing the check. Micah's got to do the playing. Where's the least important part of this whole equation we're talking about? What is the least incremental part of the whole equation? The attorney, or the agent. He works for Micah. He's not the principle here, in any way."
From Parsons' perspective, the conversation was not a negotiation and he always wanted Mulugheta to be involved. He told Jones that sentiment, but Jones referred back to his history of doing deals directly with players, which appears to be what he wants to do in this instance with Parsons.
"Part of the issue is that at where my offer was, and of course we do have those issues of him saying 'Well, my agent wasn't sitting there, and so we don't think it was an offer and we don't think it's a valid one.'" Jones said.
"[Irvin] and I would tell them we could do some pretty good business without an agent sitting there. As you well know, I've done most of my negotiating without an agent in the room."
If anyone was sitting in the room with Jones and Parsons, Jones believes the number written on his check would showcase how much he values Parsons.
"The world would know that I want Micah if they knew what I had offered him, and he knows what I offered him," Jones said. "The world would know that I want Micah to play on the team and that I respect him for what he can bring to the team."
When speaking to reporters in late July, Parsons noted that he hasn't taken the negotiations personally because he's seen it happen to other players in the past, adding that he doesn't "take it personally, I just don't understand."
The latest example? What Jones did with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who was also franchised tagged twice before signing a four-year, $240 million extension shortly after his second tag was placed. It appears that Jones is sticking to that playbook in his negotiation, with the expectation that Parsons will not miss game checks.
"It's exactly what happened with Dak," Jones said. "And we moved forward and of course ultimately, we got a contract, made Dak the highest paid player in the NFL. So the precedent is handling it like Dak, but in this particular case, then Micah comes in and plays this year under his contract. If he doesn't it's very costly. Very costly for everybody."
Speaking of costly, Jones is aware that not having Parsons on the field would be costly for his defense.
"We need him to win," Jones said. "And we should have to win, we can have him three years like it is right now, we can have him three years without having a disagreement. He should though, in my mind, because he'd be the highest guaranteed player ever on defense, is what he's been offered."
And so it's Jones' belief that the ball is in Parsons and Mulugheta's court, and that eventually, a decision will have to be made on their part because the team is ready to move forward.
"We've got this resolved in my mind for the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said. "We've got it done. If the agent wants to finish up the details, which he should, and do all the paperwork, and he can do that, and we're ready to go."
