NFL insider weighs in on "trouble" over Micah Parsons' contract dispute

The relationship between Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and star linebacker Micah Parsons might not be a great thing when it comes to a new contract for the player. That’s according to Albert Breer, an NFL insider for Sports Illustrated, who said Monday that:

“The trouble, of course, is that the bond they’ve built doesn’t necessarily make a negotiation any less complicated between a front office and an agent. Or change the fact that Parsons waited the extra year (or had to wait the extra year) to get his second contract, or mitigate that owner Jerry Jones said he’d never heard of super-agent David Mulugheta.”

Mulugheta represents over 40 NFL players as an agent, including Parsons and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. In 2020, Mulugheta was recognized by Forbes magazine as the top NFL agent regarding negotiating deals and commissions.

Parsons has been to OTAs for the Cowboys this summer, and as things stand will become a free agent at the end of next season. He’s set to earn a base salary of over $24 million per Spotrac. In June, Schottenheimer revealed to Sports Illustrated:

“This relationship I’ve developed with Micah is very evident in the fact that anything I’ve asked him to do, he’s done.”

“He’s been great.”

Schottenheimer went out of his way to attend a charity event that Parsons was a part of to get to know him better.

“What seems certain is that the average per year on Parsons’s contract will have to start with a four and the guarantees will have to be well into nine figures. Whether that comes together via a holdout, or with less acrimony, remains to be seen,” said Breer.

If Micah Parsons were to hold out on a new contract, he’d join a long list of players on the team who had done that as leverage for a good deal. Former running back Ezekiel Elliott did that in 2019, Zack Martin in 2023 and current star receiver CeeDee Lamb last year.

Micah Parsons trade proposal

While it doesn’t appear as though Micah Parsons will move to another team anytime soon, anything is possible should he hold out or the Cowboys get a decent offer from elsewhere.

On The Wrightway Sports Network, writer Daniel Alameda suggested the Cowboys might be interested in moving their two-time first-team All-Pro linebacker, who was named the 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Alameda believes the Washington Commanders would be an ideal fit for Micah Parsons.

“Parsons has repeatedly praised (Dan) Quinn’s impact, describing him as ‘My guy, like a big uncle,’ and a coach who develops both the player and the person.”

Before becoming head coach of the Washington Commanders, Quinn served as defensive coordinator for the Cowboys.