Not everyone is a fan of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his negotiating tactics.
To that end, some people are really interested in making excuses for Micah Parsons for what appears to be a major mistake made in the ongoing contract negotiations between Jones and his NFL All-Pro edge rusher.
Bill Simmons called out Jones for being “shady” in the negotiations with Parsons after he requested a trade from the Cowboys on August 2.
Parsons, who is 26 years old, is due to make approximately $24 million in 2025 after the Cowboys exercised the fifth year option on his rookie contract. That’s bout $16 million less than his contemporaries in Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt and Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett.
In Parsons’ trade request, he stated that a conversation between himself and Jones in March where he told Jones what he wanted out of his contract in terms of money and years was interpreted by Jones as the 2 sides agreeing on contract terms.
Parsons had already told by his agent, David Mulugheta, not to negotiate with the Cowboys over his contract until Watt and Garrett signed their deals in order to drive the price up — something that had not happened to that point.
“Micah Parsons is in his mid-20s, how does he know how to do a deal with an owner who has done a kajillion deals?” Simmons said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on August 3. “Like, that’s ridiculous … it’s shady.”
Parsons’ Age Shouldn’t Be Excuse for Bad Business
We should point out Parsons isn’t a minor — he’s an adult man in his mid-20s who made a bad business move by negotiating with Jones without his agent there.
He also did so against the advice of his own agent, who had already told him 2-3 times to not negotiate with the Cowboys until over deals have been signed.
Circumventing an agent is a tried and true Jones move. It’s also something he tried to pull on quarterback Dak Prescott, who refused to talk without his agent, Todd France, there with them.
The Cowboys have made Prescott the highest paid player in NFL history twice in the last decade, with a 4-year, $160 million contract extension in March 2021 and a 4-year, $240 million contract extension in September 2024.
“France ultimately said Prescott understood his value and was willing to bet on himself and wait for the perfect deal, even if it meant taking risks, which was proven to be the correct choice when his record-setting contract was signed,” The Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Lawrence Dow wrote in April 2025.
Parsons Has Generational Talent on Edge
Parsons is a once-in-a-generation type of defensive player — possibly a once-in-a-lifetime type of player as well.
“His 126 pressures and 31 percent pass-rush win rate since 2023 lead the NFL,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on July 9. “He has done this despite facing a 31.5 percent double-team rate in 2024, highest among edge rushers on this list. He generated a league-high 19.1 percent pressure rate last season and led the Cowboys with a 24.2 percent pressure share, the eighth-highest clip in the NFL. His pass rush win rate of 25.3 percent ranked second overall. And, oh yeah, Parsons is the second player in NFL history to produce 12 or more sacks in each of his first four pro seasons (White is the other).”
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