ESPN’s Senior NFL Insider, Adam Schefter, spoke with The Dallas Express on Wednesday and detailed the lack of progress on a contract extension between the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Parsons said on Tuesday that there is “really not much movement” taking place on a contract extension.
Tensions have seemingly been high between the two sides for much of the process, with Schefter telling DX that comments made by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones early in the offseason brought the negotiations to a standstill.
“And we remember the comments that Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons both made right around the time of the NFL League meeting in Palm Beach. We had Jerry speak at length about the fact that he felt like a deal with Micah was coming into place. He thought he was feeling really good about where things had gone. He didn’t need the agent to do the deal. He and Micah could do the deal alone,” Schefter explained.
“And then lo and behold, Micah tweeted that his agent, David Mulugheta, would be a part of any deal that would get done. And I think that was really the first spot where things kind of went awry. Because the Cowboys, I think, felt like, from the sounds of things, like they thought the deal was at the doorstep, ready to get done. And then once the agent got introduced, and it’s the agent’s job to secure the best deal he can, that clouded things, and I don’t know that Dallas really wanted to deal with him.”
“We’ve heard recently that, you know, David Mulugheta has called the Cowboys. They haven’t returned his call. And so I think everything has stalled since then, basically,” Schefter told DX.
Schefter described the current negotiations as being “derailed,” but added that discussions could quickly regain traction. “Now, talks can get back on track tomorrow. They can get back on track next week, but right now, it’s slow going.”
Despite the difficulty with these negotiations, Schefter said that Parsons will still get a massive contract, and he is under the impression that “everybody expects” that the four-time Pro Bowler will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Making Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history would require the two sides to agree on a contract with an average annual value of over $41 million, which would surpass the three-year, $123 million contract signed by defensive end T.J. Watt.
Dallas is no stranger to massive contract extensions, with the franchise signing both quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Ceedee Lamb to top-of-the-market contracts last offseason.
These contracts made Prescott the highest-paid player in NFL history, while also making Lamb the second-highest-paid wide receiver at the time; the duo earned a combined average annual salary of $94 million.
However, Dallas waited until late in the 2024 offseason to sign each of those contracts, which is likely a similar scenario to what will play out with Parsons in the coming weeks.