Agent: Micah Parsons wanted to stay in Dallas

Micah Parsons' blockbuster trade last week from the Dallas Cowboys was never the star pass rusher's intent, his agent David Mulugheta said Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take."

Parsons, now a member of the Green Bay Packers, made it a priority to stay in Dallas, the agent said, and wasn't going to sit out the season after a sit-in at Cowboys training camp over dissatisfaction with his current contract.

"I think the most important thing is Micah wanted to be a Cowboy," Mulugheta said. "He grew up cheering for the Cowboys, wore the blue and white at Penn State, wore it in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. He wanted to be a Cowboy, and we did everything we could for him to remain a Cowboy."

Mulugheta said that despite the impasse in negotiations, Parsons, 26, would have played in the Cowboys' season opener on Thursday against the host Philadelphia Eagles. The agent said Parsons' camp never told the Cowboys otherwise.

"I mean, Micah loves the game too much," Mulugheta said. "He was going to play no matter what."

Green Bay quickly extended Parsons after trading three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027 to Dallas last Thursday. Parsons' new deal is a four-year, $188 million extension that includes $136 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history with a $47 million annual average.

The Cowboys and Parsons never officially got to that point, with team owner and general manager Jerry Jones believing he had a handshake agreement with the player following a direct conversation with him on March 18.

Parsons said that the team had to then deal with his agent, Mulugheta, and that's where versions of the story went different directions. Jones said he offered the most guaranteed money for a non-quarterback in league history, reportedly more than $150 million.

Parsons said the Cowboys refused to talk with his agent as months went by, so there was no deal. Mulugheta said he tried several times before and after Parsons' March meeting with Jones to ask about a new contract.

"To expect somebody 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," Mulugheta said. "His job is to go out there and chase quarterbacks, and our job is to go out there and chase commas for him. I'm not sure exactly why it went this way, but we were always prepared and open to negotiating a contract with the Jones family."

The agent said his client never believed he was actually negotiating a contract, and whether or not it was a miscommunication, Parsons just listened and "nodded his head out of respect."

"Obviously there's a power dynamic that's a little different there," Mulugheta said. "One guy's the owner of the team and the GM, and the other one is Micah Parsons, a young 25-year-old football player."

The agent said the Cowboys talked to Parsons about a five-year extension, not four, which he estimated could have cost the player $60 million to $70 million in future earnings.

On the health front, Parsons is dealing with a back injury, though he practiced with the Packers on what appeared to be a limited basis on Monday.

Before the deal, the Cowboys had placed Parsons on a five-day plan of a corticosteroid to help back inflammation and had him on a physical therapy program. Parsons may need an epidural injection to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions, according to reports from ESPN, NFL Network and The Athletic.

"What I will tell you, is that Micah is going to do everything he possibly can to get on the football field, the same way he did when he was in a Cowboys jersey," Mulugheta said.

A Pro Bowl selection in each of his four seasons, and three-time first-team All Pro, Parsons has racked up 52.5 sacks through the first 63 games of his career. He was the 12th overall pick by the Cowboys in the 2021 draft and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season.