Cowboys' Jerry Jones Says 'There Is No Violation' to Negotiate Contracts Without Agent

Amid complaints from the NFL Players Association about Jerry Jones avoiding negotiations with Micah Parsons' agent prior to trading him to the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys owner says he didn't violate any rules.

During his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan's Shan & RJ show, Jones said "there is no violation" because he has "all the authority in the world, and the player has all the authority in the world, to negotiate directly with me."

Jones made a point of emphasizing during the standoff with Parsons that he was only interested in negotiating with the star pass-rusher and that David Mulugheta, who represents Parsons, did not have to be a factor in talks.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Don Van Natta Jr., Parsons directed Jones to speak with Mulugheta when the Cowboys owner attempted to turn a March 18 one-on-one meeting that was originally presented as being about leadership into a contract discussion.

The same report noted that Parsons' agency "never" saw final details of the offer Jones claimed to have worked out with Parsons at some point in April, but the Cowboys maintained the deal was done and it was on the player to sign it.

As Jones continued to talk about how he negotiated only with Parsons and wasn't interested in bringing Mulugheta into the equation, it was pointed out there are specific rules between the NFL and NFL Players Association in the collective bargaining agreement giving certified representatives exclusive rights to negotiate with individual teams on behalf of the player.

There is some wiggle room, notably if the player chooses to represent himself. David White, NFLPA interim executive director, told Rob Maadi of the Associated Press on Sept. 3 that the union would call people to say "knock it off" if they believed there is any violation of the rules, and the next step would be to file a grievance if that didn't work.

White didn't specifically say if there were any conversations with Jones or the Cowboys about Jones' actions, but did note that Parsons "found his way to Green Bay with a contract that he has publicly stated makes him happy, and that makes us happy."

One potential reason for Jones' brazen attitude about the situation is the punishment is not particularly damaging. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio noted the CBA is "toothless" for this type of situation with no discipline given on a first violation and only a $62,000 fine for each subsequent violation.

Jones ultimately decided to end the stalemate by trading Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 28. Parsons also signed a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers.