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DeMarvion Overshown #13 of the Dallas Cowboys

It never made much sense, really, for the Dallas Cowboys to be locked into a sort of Cold War with the NFL agent David Mulugheta, because in the end, no one would really win and the team’s ability to conduct the normal order of business in the NFL could be damaged. Mulugheta and his firm, Athletes First, are arguably the most prominent player reps in the league, as the Cowboys well know. In fact, they’re picking up another Cowboys starter, as ESPN reports that linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is going to Mulugheta as his agent.

Overshown, who missed his first season with a knee injury, is entering his fourth NFL season and will be eligible for a contract extension. But because he has struggled to stay healthy in his first three seasons in the NFL, the Cowboys will want to see him play out this year and determine if they want to give him a new contract next offseason.

By hiring Mulugheta, Overshown is apparently getting himself ready for those contract talks, and given recent history, that’s sure to have the Cowboys on edge.

Cowboys Tension With David Mulugheta Began in Micah Parsons Talks

Here’s what ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on Twitter/X: “Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown, whose rookie contract expires after this season, now has hired agent David Mulugheta to represent him. Mulugheta represents, amongst others, Micah Parsons, George Pickens and now Overhsown.”

That’s where the Cowboys’ recent history with Mulugheta has been in the news. First, there was the apparent schism between the Cowboys and Mulugheta over the contract of Micah Parsons. While the full story has more nuance, the abridged version is that owner Jerry Jones thought he had a handshake agreement with Parsons on an extension last offseason, and objected when Parsons subsequently wanted Jones to work out the details with Mulugheta.

Both sides dug in, and what had been a very friendly Parsons-Jones relationship fell apart altogether.

Cowboys Offered ‘Olive Branch’ Before DeMarvion Overshown Signed With David Mulugheta

This offseason, there was fear that the Cowboys-Mulugheta strife would crop up again, because Athletes First also has Pickens. The Cowboys put the franchise tag on Pickens and refused to negotiate a long-term deal with him. It was not difficult to imagine a summer in which Pickens held out, like Parsons did, and became a distraction in what will be a very important offseason.

But that appears to have been avoided, as Pickens has informed the team he’ll sign the franchise tag deal at one year, $27 million.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Thursday, “Sources: The #Cowboys extended an olive branch to agent David Mulugheta of Athletes First, as owner Jerry Jones and COO Stephen Jones called him with both on the phone to discuss franchise tagged WR George Pickens’ future. The call was professional and cordial.”

Health Remains DeMarvion Overshown’s Biggest Issue

Now, Mulugheta is not a doctor and ultimately, what will determine how things shake out with Overshown and his Cowboys career is the number of games he is able to play in 2026.

Overshown was a third-round pick in 2023 and missed that season with a torn ACL suffered in training camp. He injured his knee in Week 14 of the 2024 season, tearing his ACL, MCL and PCL, and was still recovering from that injury in early 2025. He did not make his debut until Week 10.

Overshown is talented and energetic. But as VP Stephen Jones said, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota: “Obviously, he needs to put together a full season, and if he does, I think it’s going to be a great season. I think the biggest thing is that, availability. Certainly, no one wants to play the game more than him. I can assure you of that.”

Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney