The Dallas Cowboys' free agency performance has been surprisingly adequate thus far. They made low-risk trades for former first-round picks to improve their depth and signed two veteran running backs to position themselves to take their eventual starter in April's draft.
While that's all well and good, this offseason will be defined by Micah Parsons' contract. Needles to say Parsons will reset the EDGE market whenever he signs. The issue, though, is negotiations seemingly haven't progressed very far and Parsons' price has only gone up since the start of free agency.
Star pass-rusher Myles Garrett got $40 million per year from the Browns and Bengals receiver Ja'Marr Chase just agreed to a four-year, $161 million deal that includes a ridiculous $112 million guaranteed. Chase is now the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
Rest assured, both extensions only raise the floor on Parsons' deal. The longer Dallas delays the inevitable, the more money they will have to commit to their generational defender.
If Garrett and Chase's deals didn't send a message to Jerry Jones, maybe the latest groundbreaking extension will do the trick.
Derek Stingley's record extension should send clear message to Cowboys about Micah Parsons
The Texans and All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley have agreed to a massive three-year, $90 million extension that includes $89 million guaranteed. Stingley's $30 million base value per year completely resets the CB market and makes him the highest-paid defensive back in league history.
Stingley's deal blows away the recent extension signed by Panthers star Jaycee Horn, who got $25 million per year and $72 million guaranteed. Horn was the NFL's highest-paid cornerback for less than a week.
Stingley's extension was negotiated by Athletes First's David Mulugheta, who also happens to represent Parsons. Mulugheta has been on a heater this offseason as far as getting his clients the richest deals possible. He negotiated Horn's deal with Carolina as well.
On top of that, Mulugheta secured a two-year, $40 million contract for Justin Fields with the Jets, including $30 million guaranteed. That is a fantastic deal for Fields, who is 14-30 as a starter and owns a lowly 61.1% completion rate in his career.
Mulugheta is approaching $350 million in guaranteed money for his clients this offseason. He has mastered the art of negotiating and the Joneses happen to be some of the worst negotiators in the world of sports. They continually get taken to the cleaners by their stars because they refuse to sign them ahead of time.
The player has to be willing to negotiate early, too, but the Joneses' contract philosophy is not conducive to proper team-building.
When you couple the contracts Mulugheta has already negotiated this offseason and the Joneses' penchant for waiting until the last minute to sign their homegrown stars, Parsons' extension could check in close to $45 million per year when all is said and done.
