Dan Patrick can relate to the tense negotiations between the Dallas Cowboys and Micah Parsons, recalling a similar standoff with ESPN.
During their training camp opening press conference Monday afternoon, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys took an interesting approach to addressing the ongoing contract talks with their best player. As Parsons enters the fifth and final year of his rookie contract in search of an extension, Jones went to the podium and called out his ankle sprain last season, while also noting their All-Pro linebacker could still get “hit by a car” even if they sign him to a new deal.
The bizarre tactic by Jones prompted Dan Patrick to recall discussing a contract extension with ESPN earlier in his career. The difference, however, is ESPN didn’t do it publicly through the media, they just attempted to humble Patrick through his agent.
“Micah Parsons is one of the top-10 players in the NFL as far as impact on the game,” Patrick said during his Tuesday morning radio show. “Now you can say, ‘Hey, he gets injured.’ That’s what you say to the agent. ‘Hey, we’re starting to get nicked up a little bit here, that’s a concern I have…’ That’s what a negotiation is.
“I went through negotiations before. Now, I made them public because I thought they were humorous after the fact, when I had Mark Shapiro, who was my boss for years at ESPN told my agent that I’m over the hill and I’ll never get another job. And I thought, ‘Wow.’ And of course I re-signed a bad deal at ESPN, but that’s on me. Because I’m like, ‘Maybe he’s right? Maybe I’m old and I’ll never get another job.’ He said it to my agent at least. He didn’t say it publicly.”
Patrick said his wife shrewdly asked why ESPN and Shapiro would even bother offering him another contract if they truly believed the SportsCenter anchor was “over the hill” and unable to land another job. Unfortunately for Patrick, his wife isn’t his agent. And Patrick had already signed that so-called “bad deal.”
Despite the threat from Mark Shapiro and ESPN, Dan Patrick eventually dared to leave the Worldwide Leader. And in doing so, he became one of the most prominent personalities to prove leaving ESPN doesn’t have to be a career death sentence. Patrick even defeated ESPN’s attempt at a smear campaign on his way out. Similarly, as marketable as the Dallas Cowboys are, Parsons’ career doesn’t depend on America’s Team. And the Cowboys would certainly be unwise to let Parsons walk over the fact he could get hit by a car.