Micah Parsons’ Agent Discredits Jerry Jones In $70M Claim as Cowboys Forced Locker Room Breakup

Even with just days to go before the regular season kickoff, the contract drama around Micah Parsons still rages on. The latest comes from Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, as he takes a swing at Jerry Jones. At its core is a whopping $70 million gap between what the Cowboys offered and Green Bay’s deal.

Micah Parsons wanted to stay a Cowboy. Yet, as Mulugheta told Stephen A. Smith on First Take, Jerry Jones’s claim of offering Parsons the highest-paid non-QB deal in NFL history is oversimplified. Mulugheta noted, “the devil’s in the details” and broke down the contracts. The Cowboys’ offer averaged $40.5 million annually, but it was a four-year deal with limited guarantees, while the Packers’ contract is $188 million over four years, fully guaranteed for $136 million, and pays $47 million annually. The Packers’ structure, including a fifth-year option and better cash flow, could net Parsons an extra $30-40 million. While the current market peaks with Parsons’ $47 million, four years down the line, Mulugheta projects the market to stand at around $65-70 million a year. And that’s exactly what Parsons would be missing out on.

As Mulugheta put it in detail, “if we lock in that fifth year currently at $40 million, just that year alone is worth an additional $30 million to Micah, if not more. And that’s not even counting the raise that he got for the next four years or the fact that the Packers were good enough to us that they gave us the fifth-year option as a linebacker this year, as opposed to a DEM. So that’s an additional $30 million. So the difference between those two deals you’re looking at could be possibly $60, $70 million when it’s all said and done.” Mulugheta stressed that these financial details matter more than just headline salary figures.

The Cowboys’ deal, like many recent Dallas deals, offered limited guarantees, whereas Green Bay’s extended security makes a significant difference. The pass-rusher market surged quickly. Where Nick Bosa commanded $35 million a year just a year ago, Parsons has pushed the bar to $47 million. Dallas’ hesitance to match that forced a costly split despite Parsons’ wish to stay.

But the financial side is only one part. Micah Parsons’ relationship with the Cowboys fractured off the field. Recent reports describe friction from his fiery, outspoken personality that clashed in the locker room. Teammates reportedly saw his leadership style as disruptive, further accelerating the decision to trade him. And still, there has been a notable shift in the Dallas locker room without Parsons.

The post-Parsons Dallas Cowboys

Dallas ultimately traded Parsons to Green Bay for two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers rewarded Parsons with the richest non-QB contract in NFL history, signaling full confidence. Meanwhile, Dallas faces a defensive and cultural rebuild without their cornerstone. For many in the roster, Parsons has become a symbol of limits on loyalty when financial and personal fault lines appear. And this has caused some discontent among the stars as well.

As the news of the trade broke, Parsons’ ex-teammates responded in kind. Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb had no words to describe what had happened, and could only post single emojis expressing themselves. KaVontae Turpin on the other hand, noted on his X, “yeah this league s*** crazy lol.” As Dallas recalibrates without Parsons, even Dak Prescott noted in a recent interview that he had seen it coming because of the way the standoff had unfolded. “I can’t say I was completely surprised. But I definitely didn’t think he was going to get traded, I’ll say that. But just with the way that our negotiations went down, obviously, to some extent… it seemed like it got personal on their ends.” After the trade was announced, Prescott notably messaged Parsons and wished him luck.

The Packers vs. Cowboys matchup is looming in Week 4 where Parsons could go up against his old teammates. CeeDee Lamb spoke up in a recent interview about what it would be like to have Parsons on the other side of the scrimmage. “The worst. It’s gonna be weird. It’s gonna be conflicting. I hope he’s not in the backfield in two seconds,” Lamb noted. Parsons’ current saga underscores that NFL success depends on contracts, culture, and emotional chemistry. With Parsons now Green Bay’s key player and Dallas reshaping its locker room, both face pivotal questions on the cost of this breakup. How the Packers manage Micah Parsons’ health, and how Dallas shapes its defensive identity without Parsons will be the two storylines we’ll eagerly look forward to unfold as the season begins in a few days.