Micah Parsons: Details on His Trade and Contract
The renowned American football player Micah Parsons had no plans to miss the current season. His agent, David Mulugheta, revealed that Parsons would have played with the Dallas Cowboys in the opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles, even if he hadn’t been traded to the Green Bay Packers. Mulugheta assured that the Cowboys were never informed of Parsons’ intention not to play. “Micah loves the game too much. He was going to play no matter what,” he stated. The agent revealed that Parsons’ first option was always to stay in Dallas: “The most important thing is that Micah wanted to be a Cowboy. He grew up cheering for the Cowboys.”
However, Mulugheta mentioned that the Cowboys did not negotiate with him because the owner and general manager, Jerry Jones, believed he had reached an agreement with Parsons after a meeting on March 18. “If you’re a 25-year-old football player and your boss, who happens to be the most powerful person in the NFL, starts talking about contracts, it’s difficult for you to end that conversation,” Mulugheta said. “So they had a conversation. Micah nodded in respect.” Jones has stated the opposite and believes he had a verbal agreement with Parsons. The Cowboys have negotiated directly with players in the past, which does not explicitly violate the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Mulugheta stated that he communicated on several occasions before and after the meeting to inquire about the negotiations, but the Cowboys were not interested in talking. The Packers signed Parsons to a four-year contract extension for $188 million, with $120 million guaranteed at the time of signing. Jones stated that the Cowboys’ offer was for the largest amount of guaranteed money for a non-quarterback in NFL history, and a source indicated that it was “more than $150 million.” At the time of the supposed agreement, the Cowboys’ average of $40.5 million per year would have made Parsons the highest-paid defensive player based on the average per year. The biggest difference in the offers from the Cowboys and Packers was the length. The Cowboys’ offer was a five-year extension, which, in Mulugheta’s opinion, could have cost Parsons between $60 and $70 million in future earnings. Parsons practiced with the Packers on Monday. He appeared to be a limited participant due to a back injury that, according to Mulugheta, has been treated with anti-inflammatories and may require additional treatment for Parsons to play in the Packers’ opening game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. “What I will tell you is that Micah is going to do everything he can to get on the football field, the same way he did when he was wearing the Cowboys jersey,” Mulugheta said. Mulugheta’s partner at Athletes First, Trevon Smith, represents Cowboys receiver George Pickens, who is in the final year of his contract. Mulugheta stated that any negative feelings created by Parsons’ situation would not affect Pickens’ chances of staying in Dallas. “There’s nothing personal here. It’s a business transaction as far as the contract is concerned,” Mulugheta said. “So if George Pickens does what we expect him to do, which is be one of the top receivers in the NFL this year, we’ll have those conversations with the Cowboys. And if they’re open to having that dialogue with us and negotiating a long-term deal, then we’d love for George Pickens to be a star with the star on his helmet. If that’s not the case, then we’ll see what else is out there for him.”Expecting someone like Micah Parsons to be one of the best defenders in the NFL and also a great lawyer when it comes to contracts, I think it’s a bit unfair. His job is to go out and chase quarterbacks, and our job is to go out and find commas for him. I’m not exactly sure why it went this way, but we were always prepared and open to negotiating a contract with the Jones family.
David Mulugheta, Micah Parsons’ agent
