“You Can’t Conduct Business in the NFL That Way”: Stephen A. Smith Believes Micah Parsons Won’t Finish His Career in Dallas

Micah Parsons has done nothing but rack up double-digit sack seasons, Pro Bowls, and All-Pros since arriving in the NFL. All he wants is to be paid what he’s due. And he’s been asking his team for a new contract since last year.

However, Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager extraordinaire Jerry Jones has not handled this elite player’s requests very well. He called Parsons out for injuries last year (despite him missing just four games) and has not communicated with him often or effectively throughout the offseason.

In fact, the most informed reporting suggests that the two sides have not even gotten together at the negotiating table since the spring. That’s at least a couple of months, if not more. ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out that this is a different situation than the delayed contract negotiations with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last year because things have gotten “personal.”

“It is different [to Dak Prescott’s and CeeDee Lamb’s negotiations]. It’s gotten personal, and they’re no closer to a deal, and there’s no reason to think that the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons will be able to work out a deal before the start of the regular season,” Schefter said.

In Parsons’ official trade request, he recounted a situation where Jones and the Cowboys sat down with him without his agent and discussed numbers for a deal. While the old-school Jones thought they had a handshake agreement, Parsons had clearly told them to contact his agent, the high-powered David Mulugheta, to get it finalized.

When Mulugheta did reach out to the team, they gave him the impression that the deal was done. Not so. What player in this day and age would agree to a deal without letting their agent (or even their mother, in some cases) review it first? No one.

And it is strange that Jones would assume Parsons would sign off on a deal without representation. Bullying tactics that may have worked on financially illiterate athletes of years past don’t work anymore.

When asked about his colleague Schefter’s comments, Stephen A. Smith agreed with the insider, suggesting that Parsons’ time in Dallas might be over sooner than Cowboys fans had hoped.

“Jerry could change his mind and get him signed, and obviously, you could franchise him or whatever, but I think Jerry is looking at the money he’s already doled out to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, a couple of other players. You’re spending damn near $200 million on three players, and Micah Parsons would be a fourth. You can’t conduct business in the NFL that way … you’ve got to fill out a roster,” Stephen A. said.

Unfortunately, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t seem to be in the loop. When asked about Parsons recently, he basically dodged the question, saying he was happy to see the guys in the building, and nothing has changed with regard to the All-Pro. To be clear, Parsons has been conducting a hold-in, so he’s at the facility every day working, just not participating in team activities.