JERRY Jones is no stranger to creating controversy, but even his antics concerning Micah Parsons’ contract negotiations are a different level of chaos – and not of the positive kind.
The Cowboys have yet to sign a long-term deal with one of the best pass rushers in the league, the four-time Pro Bowler Parsons, thanks in large part due to the 82-year-old owner Jones.
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Owners don’t normally involve themselves in contract negotiations, but when you’re Jones, who’s also the Cowboys’ general manager, all bets are off.
Jones told reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting last week that he and Parsons, who has 52.5 career sacks in four seasons and one year left on his rookie deal, had a six-hour discussion about a contract extension.
But why no contract? Well, Jones threw cold water on a common courtesy when it came to negotiations for a new deal, or for any negotiation for that matter.
Jones shared that he had attempted to negotiate directly with Parsons and not through his agent, David Mulugheta.
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To garner even more headlines, Jones took a shot at Mulugheta, claiming that “the agent is not a concern here… I don’t know his name.”
The quote caught the attention of Parsons, who responded to Jones’s shenanigans on social media.
“David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without [David Mulugheta] involved!” Parsons said on Twitter.
“Like anyone with good sense I hired experts for a reason.
“There is no one I trust more when it comes to negotiating contracts than David!
“There will be no backdoors in this contract negotiation.”
Jones’s comments could get him into trouble in more ways than one.
The longtime owner suggested that the team is cutting out the agent in the contract negotiation process, which violates the CBA.
And Jones’s comments could lead to Parsons and his agent holding a personal vendetta against an organization that hasn’t won a Super Bowl since 1996.
Jones has maintained that the franchise has “no urgency” to strike a deal with Parsons and that he would “rather pay more and get the deal right.”
At the end of the day, Jones and the Cowboys could very well reach a deal with Parsons sometime in the offseason or even during the upcoming season.
The Cowboys signed Dak Prescott to a four-year, $270 million contract just hours before the team’s Week 1 game versus the Cleveland Browns.
But these power moves by Jones only do himself a disservice.
Last year, Jones made both Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s contract negotiations drama-filled as both sides went back and forth with the media during the process.
The team’s waiting to extend both players led to the price going up, as Prescott and Lamb received record contract extensions at the time (Prescott’s deal remains the largest in NFL history).
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Fast forward to 2025, and the price has gone up for Parsons, which hurts the team financially, no matter the context or how Jones feels about the decision.
Parsons is reportedly seeking a $200 million deal, and Cowboys reporter Clarence Hill has claimed that Dallas offered him a deal without his agent involved.
The deal would make Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
They will likely have to pay that tax due to the wait as they saw the Cleveland Browns and Myless Garrett pen a four-year, $160 million deal.
NFL important dates 2025 season
March 12 – Free Agency begins
April 24-26 – NFL Draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin
September 4 – 2025 season opener (TBC vs Eagles)
November 27 – Thanksgiving Day triple header
January 4, 2026 – End of regular-season
February 8, 2026 – Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
The Cowboys have $38 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, and will have to use most of that space to pay Parsons.
The team will also have to pay its draft picks in this month’s NFL Draft.
The Cowboys have other areas to worry about, and the team’s continued negotiations with Parsons, along with Jones’ remarks, do them no favors.