Micah Parsons is preparing to make his debut with the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 of the NFL season after being traded from the Dallas Cowboys.
The blockbuster deal remains a major talking point around the league, with new details still surfacing.
On Tuesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith asked Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, directly whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would have made Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
“That’s a loaded question, right?” Mulugheta said. “So just from an APY standpoint, if you’re just looking at the average that was offered to him, I believe it was $40.5 million, was that offer. Which would have made him at the time, from an APY standpoint, the highest-paid.
“That being said, the way the cash flow is structured over his first three new years, he would not be paid as the highest-paid player.”
Mulugheta added that another sticking point was the difference between a four-year deal and a five-year deal.
“That fifth new year could be the difference in $30 or $40 million for the player,” Mulugheta said. “If you look where the pass-rusher market was a year ago, it was at $35 million or so with Nick Bosa. Now it’s at $47 million a year in one year with Micah Parsons. Four years from now what do you think that number is? It's closer to $65-$70 million a year, and if we lock in fifth-year early at $40 million, just that year alone is worth an additional $30 million to Micah, if not more."
After the trade, the Packers signed Parsons to a four-year, $186 million contract that included a $44 million signing bonus, $136 million guaranteed, and an average salary of $46.5 million per season, according to Spotrac.
For now, the Packers are hoping Parsons will be ready when Green Bay hosts the Detroit Lions in Week 1. The star edge rusher is still recovering from a back sprain that could impact his availability for the opener.