Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that he thinks a long-term deal with star pass rusher Micah Parsons isn’t too far away from becoming a reality.
Jones said Parsons called him to set up a meeting, and the two spoke for “five or six hours” to work out a long-term extension.
“Most of the issues we are in agreement on. We discussed it all,” Jones said at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “But we obviously don’t have an agreement relative to the new contract.”
At the moment, Parsons is in line to earn approximately $24 million on the fifth year of his rookie contract. The Dallas Morning News reported late last week that Parsons was seeking a record-setting $200 million contract extension that would make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
In regard to the negotiations, Jones said he has been discussing the contract directly with Parsons — not his agent, David Mulugheta.
“I’m the one who has to sign the check, and Micah’s the one that has to agree to it,” Jones said. “That’s the straightest way to get to it is the one writing the check and the one agreeing to it talking, and that’s the principal that’s involved here.”
As for excluding Mulugheta, Jones doesn’t view it as a big deal.
“The agent is not a factor here,” Jones said. “And I don’t know his name. And so my point is that I’m not trying to demean him in any way but this isn’t about an agent.”
Parsons, however, took to social media Tuesday to say that no deal would get done without his agent.
“Facts!! David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without David Mulugheta involved!” Parsons wrote. “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.”
Also on Tuesday, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said he expects Parsons to take part in the team’s voluntary offseason workouts despite ongoing contract negotiations.
The workouts begin Monday.
“Hey, look, at the end of the day this is a business and when you’re dealing with the money that’s being tossed around, not just with Micah but with the big-name players, negotiations sometimes take time,” the first-year coach said, per ESPN. “I feel very comfortable. Micah said he’s going to be around. I think that he wants to be. I think we’re all very comfortable with that.”
With the departure of longtime defensive leader DeMarcus Lawrence, Parsons has a chance to fill that void.
“Micah’s excited about the opportunity to step up in a leadership role,” Schottenheimer said. “There’s no reason he shouldn’t. The best teams I’ve ever been around, their best players are their best leaders, and so again, I think the more you’re around, the more you have a chance to influence the guys, and not just the guys that are back but there’s a bunch of new faces. We’ve added the free agency group. We’re going to add some guys in the draft. That’s a part of the puzzle. But I know he’s excited about that. I think that’s one of the reasons why he will be around.”
Parsons, 25, recorded 12 sacks, 43 tackles and two forced fumbles in 13 games (all starts) last season.
A Pro Bowl selection in each of his first four seasons in the league, Parsons has totaled 256 tackles (63 for loss), 112 quarterback hits, 52.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 63 career games (all starts).
–Field Level Media
