Jerry Jones’ unique path to try to finalize a contract extension with Micah Parsons clearly did not work. The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager preferred to negotiate directly with Parsons. When the All-Pro pass rusher then wanted his agent to finalize the deal last March, discussions stalled.

Things got so ugly that Parsons was eventually traded to the Green Bay Packers in late August.

So, it’s understandable when fans become concerned when Jones speaks publicly about talking with Pro Bowl wide receiver George Pickens directly in regards to his contract situation this offseason. Pickens, who is in the final year of his rookie contract, shares the same agent as Parsons, David Mulugheta.

Jones was asked Tuesday if he’ll be talking about the contract extension with Pickens or with his agent.

“I don’t know,” Jones responded on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. “We’ll see how it goes. Probably both. But I certainly intend to be speaking with George and always have, always do.”

How prepared is Pickens to talk about his contract with Jones?

“Super prepared,” Pickens said Thursday. “(But) I definitely leave that type of stuff to my agent just because I let them talk about the deals and all that stuff. But definitely super prepared.”

The Cowboys have made it clear that they want Pickens back. He was one of the top-performing wide receivers in the NFL this season, earning his first Pro Bowl selection. Entering the final week of the season, Pickens is third in receiving yards with a career-high 1,420. He’s also tied for seventh in receiving touchdowns with a career-high nine. He had 12 receiving touchdowns in his first three seasons combined.

Pickens, who was traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Cowboys in May, has made it clear that he would like to remain in Dallas with what has been one of the league’s top offenses.

He doesn’t see any comparisons between his contract situation and the one Parsons went through a year ago.

“It’s definitely two different positions,” Pickens said. “Micah is Micah, and I’m me. Definitely just let them kind of do their thing.”

In October, Jones downplayed the role Mulugheta played in Parsons’ not getting a long-term extension from the Cowboys.

“Don’t pay any attention to that at all,” Jones said. “Too much was made of that, OK? That the agent actually had something to do with the ultimate decision of where we were — it had almost zero to do with it. Period. And that’s not a negative. It just didn’t have that kind of influence. I was gonna be where I was with Micah, relative to dollars and cents; I don’t care who represented him.”

While talking about Pickens’ future in September, Mulugheta said there is nothing personal between him and Jones.

“It’s a business transaction, as far as the contract is concerned,” he said on ESPN’s “First Take.” “So if George Pickens does what we expect him to do, which is be one of the best receivers in the NFL this year, we’ll have those conversations with the Cowboys. And if they’re open to having that dialogue with us and negotiating a long-term deal, then we’d love for George Pickens to be a star with a star on his helmet.