This weekend, star pass rusher Micah Parsons will return to the stadium in which he played the first four years of his NFL career. As many revisit the dramatics that led to his exit from Dallas, a few interesting new details and retellings have emerged. 
As many surely remember, the inciting incident that led to some contention between Parsons and the team that drafted him was a one-on-one meeting with team owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones. Jones thought that the result of the meeting was a handshake agreement on a contract extension that would’ve netted Parsons $150MM of guaranteed money. Parsons had a different view of the meeting, which he claimed was focused on leadership.
“Nah, obviously he wants to know where I’m at, what I think,” Parsons responded when asked last week if he viewed the meeting as a negotiation, per ESPN’s Todd Archer and Dan Graziano. “I’m thinking, ‘He wants to know where I’m at with the process,’ and that’s what I thought. Obviously, none of that matters now. I’m (in Green Bay).”
Following the meeting, Parsons came back to the table asking executive vice president — and son of the owner — Stephen Jones for more money. The younger Jones took the request to his father and, reportedly, convinced the general manager to increase the offer. Then — according to a report from Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News that contradicts previous reports claiming that Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, never laid eyes on the handshake offer — team officials sent the increased proposal to Mulugheta, and the agent rejected it.
Watkins adds how, at the time, officials with the NFL Players Association explored the idea of discussing Jones’ tactics of cornering players without their agents with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Ultimately, no action was taken, considering the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t forbid owners or general managers from negotiating directly with players, as long as a certified agent is present to finalize a deal with the team.
The reason the NFLPA was concerned was based on this not being the first instance of Jones and his son cornering players without their lawyers. The two defend the tactic, claiming that agents are impartial third parties that may not be around the player for very long, so their goals may not align with the long-term vision of the player like the owner’s might. They contend that the conversations go beyond the numbers, something that Parsons’ former teammate, quarterback Dak Prescott, can attest to with fond memories.
In reality, from the outside, it looks like the Joneses are attempting to utilize a familiarity and fondness with the player to earn more favorable teams for themselves with a potential hometown discount for an agreement. Also, by cutting out the agent, Jones removes a person knowledgeable on all aspects of a contract and its negotiation. As Parsons’ agent framed it, Parsons is an All-Pro defender in the NFL, and it’s unreasonable to expect him to also be an expert contract attorney.
The Joneses defend themselves, claiming that they will only proceed with the negotiations as long as the player is comfortable with it, but it requires them to ask. They say that those players are willing to discuss visions of their future with the team and what that looks like, but once numbers start getting thrown around the players will defer to their agent on those details. Still, negotiating any aspect of a contract without someone fully knowledgeable on the topic, is a bad look in the eyes of many players and agents.
The result of the incidental meeting was a trade request. First, Dallas called the Jets, checking in on the availability of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Green Bay and Miami were thought to be potential destinations, but the Cowboys looked also at Denver, whose head coach Sean Payton had worked with the team as a Cowboys assistant coach years ago. When Payton didn’t make an offer and a call from the Eagles’ was quickly nixed because of their divisional relation, the Packers emerged as the winner of the sweepstakes.
Parsons reportedly knew his days in Dallas were coming to an end when the team called on him to attend a treatment session on his ailing back. Parsons informed the team that he would need to reschedule, and the Cowboys threatened to fine him if he failed to attend. Two days later, he was headed to Green Bay.
At the start of it all, Mulugheta was seeking a $200MM deal for his star client. The Packers, after giving up defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks, continued to invest in Parsons with a four-year, $188MM extension. Both teams had early letdowns last week with the Cowboys getting blown out in Chicago and the Pack losing to the lowly Browns. While tons of focus will be centered on Parsons, both teams will be looking towards this week’s game as an opportunity to move on in multiple ways.
I would really like to know from the author of this article if there is truly a quote from Jerry Jones stating that player agents are “impartial third parties.” Because that is an *astounding* take on the role of agents in negotiations. But from the ESPN linked article, it doesn’t appear that Jones is saying that, and that not only is that interpretation a poor one (as viewed via the ESPN article) but also taken out of context. Jones (according to ESPN) was speaking on the topic of legacy building, and how the relationship between the only two constants- player and team owner- can shape that legacy. That’s very different. It’s also not an outrageous take.
Now, I think Jerry Jones is an awful person who probably should be a bit concerned which way his arrow is pointing for the afterlife, and he definitely has been totally sketchy about trying to take advantage of players without their reps, and I TOTALLY BELIEVE he might try to float that BS line that agents-are-third-parties. But I want to see it in quotes or a video. It’s just too fantastic a scenario to believe in the absence of proof.
The Dez Bryant anecdote in that article was fun.
Real predator vibes from Jerry. Isolate and try to take advantage of.
A lot of full of Nothing…
Jerry needs to die for the cowboys to improve. But as I hate the cowboys. I kinda enjoy reading his self destructive nonsense every week. Lol
Fun fact: No team has EVER lost a regular season game in Cleveland (including when they were called the Rams) and gone on to win the championship that season.
That would be sad. But it’s a good year to break that streak!!
Bearmeat…..the ultimate homer. He sees the world through green and gold glasses and feels the need to subject us all to his delusional ramblings through his posts on every article that pertains to the Green Bay Packers.
Im not a Cowboys fan and never liked him, as a football fan I have no issue with the Cowboys trading Parsons, they are not a Parsons away from being a playoff team. They need to get get off Daks contract then the dead money wont kill the cap. Sure its nice to have Parsons but you have had him and you havnt won so change course.
Oh good lord. The 6’3” 245 lb man was “cornered” by a 82 year old man that wanted to give him $150M. All Parsons had to say was, “talk to my agent.” But now we’re supposed to act like some crime has taken place because Parsons wanted to squeeze every last dime out of Dallas. I’m not buying his victimhood.
That 245 lb man works for the 80 year old crazy guy. Big power difference there.
Listen to Bearmeat….he has a lot of personal experience with crazy. He sees it in the mirror everyday.
Sorry, not buying the giant alpha male of a man, who is himself already a multi-millionaire, was somehow intimidated by being offered $150M.
I agree. Hard to get “cornered” when you attend a scheduled meeting. Then the contract is forwarded to the agent. It isn’t like Jones had a gun to Parsons head and gave him a pen. Jones is trying to get around the agent, understandable, but doesn’t make it right. At the end of the day, who really cares?
The old man is the owner, gm and face of the team.
yeah Parsons was cornered. I just love the people who side with the Billionaires and call out the guys who play.
If you worry about billionaires everyday, you might need help.
The media want to convince everyone that Jerry is going to be an absolute terror when he’s finally shipped off to the sunshine home. He’ll be bullying all the other invalids and staff until they hand over extra portions of tapioca pudding…lol.
This is easy, Jerry is a scumbag and didn’t want to pay up and he traded a generational player for 2 picks that’ll be 20-32 likely and an aging DT.
That is a fun fact.
Parsons is going on a spree Sunday night in Dallas. The Cowboy OL is injured and missing several key players – Bebee the center and Booker it’s OG. Guyton will not be at 100%. Parsons will get 3 sacks. Prescott stands a good chance of getting injured, I would consider starting Milton who is younger and much bigger.
I would have re-signed Parsons for 3 years, but no more than that, as those types of players deteriorate quickly after about 6-7 years.
See this is why I don’t agree with why NFL players have agents representing them. They should do it themselves, agents only over inflate the players contracts. That’s why you have all these exaggerated contracts. And the agent’s excuse? Oh it’s so players don’t get cheated out of potential money profit. If agents didn’t exist, teams and players would be able to negotiate contracts that work for both sides and teams would be able to sign players that want to remain with their team. Just like Micah that never wanted to leave, that always said he wanted to retire a Cowboy, Cowboy for life, but obviously the agent wanted his own cut and he soured everything between Micah and Cowboys. We all know the story with end results. Love Micah as a player but can’t root for him being with ANY NFC team!