Family Says Jerry Jones’ Arrogance Stopped Micah Parsons From Taking $4M Pay Cut to Stay With Cowboys

“I’m sorry!” Micah Parsons apologized to a young fan who was heartbroken after he got traded to Green Bay. Truth be told, DE would have wanted to stay in Dallas if it were in his hands. But after months of stalling the contract negotiation and clashes of ego between team owner Jerry Jones and Parsons’ agent David Mulugheta, there seemed to be no other option left. They simply couldn’t come to a common ground. While Jones refused to negotiate with Mulugheta, the latter, too, had contacted the front office just twice in 18 months; once in 2025.

But if you’d ask Parsons’ brother, Terrence, he believes Jones could have done more if he wanted the defensive end to stay. He took to X and wrote: “To the dumb mf the think Micah making less lol he woulda signed for 43 in Dallas had Jerry picked up the phone and negotiated with his agent lol.” His response was to a fan who had written, “You really left for 3M per year. But thought Money didn’t matter Micah. You a clown@MicahhParsons11 @Tpars_boii.”

As per Tom Pelissero’s report, Parsons has received a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed. In contrast, the Cowboys’ last offer to the athlete was for five years and $202.5 million. So, Parsons accepted a couple of more millions that the Packers were willing to spend on him. But as per Terrence, he would have taken $43 million a year to stay in Dallas—a $4 million pay cut when compared to his Packers contract.

Regardless, Parsons’ signing is good news for the Packers. Their offense looks in good shape. QB Jordan Love has been showing more development, and the offense has some talented players. However, they needed a defensive keystone, and so, that’s exactly where Parsons fits. In fact, one of the Packers’ rival executives stated: “I think he [Parsons] is the best defensive player in the league, and he just got traded.”

But the trade may have left the Cowboys’ defensive line more vulnerable, especially while they are on a soft rebuild phase with a new coaching staff. Perhaps a long negotiation with Parsons’ should have been expected all along. After all, the team also had contentious negotiations with QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb last year.

But coming back to Terrence, he believes what happened was bad business. “This isn’t even what Micah wanted is the sickening part of all this,” Terrence posted Thursday night, just hours after the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in one of the decade’s largest trades. ”He just wanted respect in the negotiation process and Jerry wouldn’t give it—sad year for Dallas, Micah, and Luka [Doncic],” he added, even tying it to the blockbuster Lakers-Mavericks trade that shook the sports world earlier this year.

Respect. That word hung over the whole situation like a dark cloud. Parsons, a two-time First-Team All-Pro, entered 2025 on the final year of his rookie deal with leverage few defenders ever have.

Micah Parsons made his agent a priority over Dallas

While Jones’s ego torched the Cowboys’ bridge, Parsons’s devotion to his representation constructed one anew in Green Bay. Soon after his brother’s posts, Parsons himself clarified why staying with his agent, David Mulugheta, mattered just as much as chasing wins. “I would never leave the best agent in the world! It’s just that simple! Thank you @DavidMulugheta for all you have done for my family!” Parsons posted on X.

It was a glimpse behind the business of football, where relationships tend to make careers as much as schemes. For the Packers, that relationship was a gift. In signing with Parsons, Green Bay not only acquired a generational defender but also signaled a franchise that is willing to make room for stars without ego battles. The move comes on the heels of committing to Jordan Love with a strengthened roster and sends a message that Green Bay believes its Super Bowl window is wide open.

Parsons adds to a defense that already was one of the league’s most effective units, making the Packers a full-fledged favorite in the NFC out of a potential contender. In Dallas, meanwhile, the repercussions are as much about culture as they are about strategy. For a fan base that has seen almost three decades without a Super Bowl trip, sitting back to see another generational star walk out hurts in a manner no cap sheet can calculate. What do you think?