The agent for Micah Parsons is telling his client’s side of the story.
David Mulugheta, one of the most acclaimed names in NFL player representation, appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday to help shed some light on the situation that led to Parsons’ recent trade from Dallas.
“At no point did Micah believe he was negotiating a contract,” Mulugheta said, via DMN’s Joseph Hoyt, of the conversations between Jerry Jones and his former star player.
“I’m not sure how this turned out the way it did. We were open to negotiating and reached out multiple times. … For some reason Jerry came out of that conversation and believed he had an agreement and wasn’t open to negotiating further.”
“At no point did Micah believe that he was negotiating a contract.”
David Mulugheta on what transpired between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons 👀 pic.twitter.com/zHqvflKxEo
— First Take (@FirstTake) September 2, 2025
Jones and Parsons met in March where a negotiation discussion sparked. Jones said after his decision to trade Parsons to Green Bay that he “moved off his mark” a couple of times in the negotiation, but the two eventually agreed to terms that would’ve resulted in an extension. The problem: Mulugheta wasn’t included.
Jones said he tried to send the details of his agreement with Parsons to Mulugheta, but Mulugheta said that agreement wasn’t valid because Jones had yet to negotiate with him.
Ultimately, they never did. Parsons announced his request to be traded Aug. 1. The request that was granted last week.
“Honestly, I don’t take it personally … this never turned personal for myself or for Micah,” Mulugheta said.
“This is another negotiation. We didn’t understand why they wouldn’t talk to the agent, as 99% of the contracts that are done across the NFL are done with player [reps].”
The Cowboys traded Parsons for two first-round draft picks (2026, 2027) and defensive tackle Kenny Clar, ahead of their season-opener Thursday night in Philadelphia.
Here are more highlights from Mulugheta’s interview on ESPN:
David Mulugheta on ESPN: “To expect somebody like Micah Parsons to be one of the best defenders in the NFL and always a great lawyer when it comes to contracts is unfair.
“His job is to chase quarterbacks, our job is to go out and chase commas for him.”
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 2, 2025
Stephen A. Smith asked David Mulugheta on ESPN if he’s in favor of the NFLPA “probing” into Jerry Jones’ negotiation tactics.
“My expectation is the NFLPA, that’s what they’re there for — to protect player rights. I’d assume they want to look into this.”
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 2, 2025
David Mulugheta: “If they’re open to having that dialogue with us and negotiating a long-term deal, then we’d love for George Pickens to have a star on his helmet. If that’s not the case then obviously we’ll see what else is out there for him.” https://t.co/isuhfBuyhd
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 2, 2025
David Mulugheta on ESPN: “I think the most important thing is that Micah wanted to be a Cowboy … he wanted to be a Cowboy and we did everything we could for him to remain a Cowboy.”
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 2, 2025
David Mulugheta said on ESPN that Micah Parsons “never” planned to skip games.
“Micah loves the game too much. He was going to play no matter what. He had a back injury. I know a lot of people like to put the quotations around the back injury … but he was on medicine for it.”
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) September 2, 2025
