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The Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons remain at an impasse in their long-running contract dispute. With the team’s regular season opener less than two weeks away the situation has become dire. And the drama took an odd turn on Thursday when Jerry Jones claimed that Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta told him to stick the latest contract offer where the sun don’t shine.
That seemed an odd thing for an agent, who makes a living on percentages of contracts paid by team owners, to say to a team owner. And it’s particularly dubious given Jones’ general disdain for agents and his stated desire to negotiate a deal directly with Parsons.
Former NFL defensive back turned analyst Ryan Clark who, like Jones, never lets a perfectly good spotlight go to waste, weighed in on the Cowboys’ owner’s statement.
“I just hit David Mulugheta and I simply asked him, I said, ‘Did you tell Jerry Jones to stick the contract up his A.S.S.?’ … And he laughed. And he said, ‘I’ve never used that phrase in my life,’” Clark said in a video posted to his X account.
“This never happened. This is just another public way to make this situation, which is already ugly, even uglier. David Mulugheta In no way has ever told Jerry Jones or any other general manager or owner that. It’s all bullcrap. It’s all lies,” Clark concluded.
Jones made the claim during an appearance on Michael Irvin’s YouTube show. The eccentric octogenarian also said he offered Parsons a deal that would have made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in football history with nearly $200 million in guaranteed money during that same interview.
Nonetheless, the contract extension drama remains unresolved and Parsons is continuing his hold-in. The All-Pro defensive end is attending team meetings but has yet to practice or play in a preseason game. And with negotiations stalled, NFL insider Adam Schefter believes Parsons and the Cowboys are “headed towards divorce.”
Somewhat hilariously, head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a good feeling about Parsons being ready for Week 1. He can’t point to anything in particular to explain why he’s “feeling good” and all evidence would suggest there’s little reason for optimism. But it’s good to stay positive.
It’s difficult to grasp how the Cowboys ended up in this situation. Parsons was a first-round draft pick in 2021. He’s long been the team’s best defensive player. In his first season in the league he was named an All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl and won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Dallas picked up his fifth-year option 16 months ago. So the team knew this was coming for nearly a year and a half and still bungled it.
During Dallas’ disappointing 2024 campaign Parsons was publicly stating that he wanted to be a Cowboy for life. He even broached the idea of taking less money in a long-term deal so the team could surround him with quality players.
Now the...
