How Will The Micah Parsons Contract Saga End? Expensively.

The Market Resets Again

Fast forward to March of 2025: not one, but two superstar players pushed the non-quarterback market even higher.

On March 9, 2025, Myles Garrett—a four-time First Team All-Pro and the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year—signed a four-year, $160 million extension to stay in Cleveland. This, from the same guy who just a month earlier said he wanted out to compete for championships somewhere else.

Then the Browns put $40 million a year on the table.

Done.

That deal made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in football…for all of nine days.

On March 18, Ja’Marr Chase signed his own blockbuster deal: four years, $161 million, nudging just above Garrett with an average annual salary of $40.25 million.

Just like that, the ceiling moved again.

By this point, any chance Dallas had to keep Parsons closer to the Bosa line was long gone. With Garrett and Chase both signing deals topping $40 million a year, Parsons has every reason to expect to beat that number.

Had Dallas acted when they first had the opportunity, they’d likely be looking at $34-36 million per year.

Now? $42 million per year might be the floor.

That’s not bad luck, that’s bad negotiating.

So, while other teams just signed the check and moved on, Dallas found a way to make it weird.

It’s Been A Messy Dance So Far

In an interview with reporters at this year’s NFL owners meetings, Jerry Jones said he’s spent “five or six hours” with Parsons discussing contract details.

“It’s not uncommon for me to visit directly with players,” Jerry said, “and, in this particular case, that’s the way I’m doing it.”

If that seems a little weird, it’s because it is.

Jones’s logic?

“I’m the one who has to sign the check, and Micah’s the one that has to agree to it.”

That’s wonderful, but also not how negotiations work in the NFL. Parsons has an agent, David Mulugheta, who happens to be one of the industry’s most powerful and influential representatives.

If that weren’t enough, Jones publicly diminished Mulugheta’s role in these negotiations.

“The agent is not a factor here… And I don’t know his name.”

He continued, because, of course he did:

“I’m not trying to demean him in any way, but this isn’t about an agent. The agent doesn’t have one thing to do with what we’re doing…The people that have something to do with what we do going forward relative to our fans and football are me and the player, not the agent.”

I’m sorry, but that’s just ignorant.

Did you think you were going to be able to squeeze a backroom deal and cut out Parsons’ representative entirely?

Parsons certainly doesn’t think so.

“David is the best and I will not be doing any deal without [him] involved,” Parsons posted on X. “There will be no backdoors in this contract negotiation.”

So, Who’s Actually In Charge Of Negotiations?

You’d think it was Stephen Jones. Who, meanwhile, seems to be increasingly frustrated with the whole thing. When asked by reporters about Parsons during OTAs—audio shared by the Shan & RJ Show on 105.3 The Fan—Stephen gave clipped, if not outright irritated, responses.

“No different than anything else. I’ll let you know when it happens.”

Do Parsons’ occasional absences during OTAs bother him?

“No, that’s part of the business. All teams go through it.”

So, will Micah be in the building for mandatory minicamp?

“You’d have to ask Micah.”

Stephen could be frustrated over many things, but the lack of clarity around these negotiations has to be at the top of the list. As the COO, contract negotiations are his baby. Having his dad hold private meetings with Parsons, make public declarations about where things stand, then publicly dismiss the agent whom Stephen has to deal with? That’s got to be maddening.

And in case you share in the cautious optimism that a deal will be done by camp? Fear not, Jerry’s here to throw a wet blanket on you.

When asked if the Parsons talks are further along than where Dak Prescott’s and CeeDee Lamb’s were, Jerry said yes, but quickly undercut it.

“[But that] doesn’t mean necessarily we’ll have anything done by training camp or at any time in the future because he’s under contract for the next year.”

(Throws hands up in exasperation.)

The T.J. Watt Factor

All of this would be dicey enough if the pass rusher market were frozen. But it’s not.

T.J. Watt, arguably the gold standard at the position, was absent from Steelers minicamp while he seeks a new contract that most believe will once again reset the non-quarterback market.

Clarence Hill Jr., speaking on the DLLS Podcast, said he spoke to Parsons directly on the last day of minicamp regarding the T.J. Watt contract situation. Hill said that Parsons knows exactly what number Watt is asking for—and it’s higher than what Parsons and Jerry had “agreed” to back in March.

Guess what Parsons said? Yep! His number keeps going up.

If Watt signs first, Parsons is going to want to top it. Period. That’s how this works. And frankly, he’s got every reason to ask for it. Parsons’ first four seasons have outpaced Watt’s, and he has the alignment flexibility that most pass rushers simply don’t have.

Waiting continues to cost the Cowboys money. And if they think Parsons is going to accept less than what Watt locks in? They haven’t been paying attention.

Parsons is hopeful to have a deal done by training camp, but he also knows the deal.

“[Jerry] gives the green light, he’s the owner,” Parsons said via Tommy Yarrish of dallascowboys.com. “He’s pretty much what it takes to get anything done anywhere around here, so it’s up to him.”

So, by all means, continue to wait for Watt to sign. Wait for Trey Hendrickson, too, while you’re at it. Just don’t be sticker-shocked at Micah’s new asking price.

Micah Parsons’ Contract Stalemate Will End Exactly Where We All Know It Will

Everyone knows how this will end, and no, it won’t be in a trade. The Cowboys are going to pay Micah Parsons. He knows it. His agent knows it. The Joneses know it. He’ll become the highest-paid non-quarterback and get everything else he wants. It’s just a matter of when and how messy it gets on the way there.

Dallas had chance after chance to make this painless. Or at least less painful than it is right now. They didn’t. They still have time to get it done before camp, but every day they wait, the price climbs. At this point, why would Parsons sign before Watt? He’s waited this long; what’s a bit longer?

Jerry and Stephen can gripe all they want about how hard it is to build around big contracts. Then stop drafting good players, I guess. Or, how about not waiting until the last possible second when a player’s dollar value is at its absolute max?

Parsons has earned every penny he’s about to get. Pay him. And if you keep waiting, don’t act surprised when you’re the one suffering for it.

It didn’t have to be this way. But with the Cowboys, it usually is.