Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who is entering the fifth-year option season of his rookie deal, has said he is hoping to hammer out an extension with Dallas at some point prior to training camp, but that was before the club elected not to retain head coach Mike McCarthy. As Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com write, Parsons called that decision “devastating,” and the normally candid defender has been quiet since the team promoted Brian Schottenheimer to the HC post.
One would not expect the McCarthy decision to be an insurmountable obstacle to a Parsons-Cowboys re-up, a deal that has been discussed for some time. However, like fellow standout EDGE Myles Garrett, who has requested a trade from the Browns, Parsons may see the Cowboys as a club that could be in something of a transition phase.
In addition, Dallas has both QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb on deals at or near the top of the market for their respective positions, and Parsons is on track to top the highly-lucrative pass rusher market (currently paced by Nick Bosa’s $34.2MM AAV). And, depending on when he signs his deal relative to positional peers like Garrett, T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, and Trey Hendrickson – all of whom are older than Parsons and arguably not as talented – Parsons could leave Bosa’s number in the dust.
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones recently said team brass will evaluate the wisdom of having so much money tied up in so few players, though he also indicated he did not envision Parsons playing for any team other than Dallas. However, Pelissero and Rapoport hear that the team has at least had some internal discussions about whether to trade the Penn State product.
If the Cowboys do entertain a trade, the return could be staggering (some league execs and coaches believe Garrett, who is three years Parsons’ senior, could fetch a haul including two Day 1 picks). Parsons, who is entering his age-26 season, has strung together four remarkable years that have him on a surefire Hall of Fame trajectory. Strong against the run and dominant when rushing the passer, Parsons is 4-for-4 in Pro Bowl nods and has two First Team All-Pro bids as well (to go along with several near misses in Defensive Player of the Year voting and even some down-ballot MVP consideration in 2022). Despite missing some time due to injury in 2024, Parsons tallied 12 sacks, bringing his career total to 52.5 (an average of over 13 per year).
It would be easy to see a team ponying up the draft capital and the contract necessary to get a deal done, but it would still be surprising if the Cowboys moved on from a talent like Parsons (especially since the team presumably does not see itself in a transitional posture). Indeed, Clarence Hill Jr. of ALL CITY DLLS unequivocally states that such a trade will not happen, and Joel Corry of CBS Sports expects Dallas and Parsons to come to terms on a new contract over the next few months.
Nonetheless, the possibility creates one more intriguing storyline in a 2025 pass rusher market that is rife with them.
His talent is wasted in Dallas. He bout be a huge boost for the Bills or the Rams
The Rams spent a first round pick and two seconds on their defensive line last year and the line is looking stacked. They have too many other needs to throw another two first round picks and a top of the market contract at Parsons.
Or they could trade Kupp?
It seems like they probably will trade Kupp, but that doesn’t change my point.
I meant trade Kupp for parsons
Kupp is worth a small fraction of what Parsons will yield in trade.
Obviously Kupp and other assets
Kupp doesn’t get you Parsons
It could with other picks
It would still take two firsts. I’m trying to tell you there are much more sensible fits.
I’m just spitballing you’re probably right.
Trade one of em in the trade?
Seems unlikely. Part of drafting Verse and Fiske was pairing college teammates. They looked awesome rookies and they have several rookie deal years left. There are too many more logical fits who are weak on the edge.
Love watching those two. It’s a like a track meet of really big guys.
Because Jones dragged out the Dak and Lamb contract situations to make them both more expensive, I get how also locking up Parsons is daunting, but you really shouldn’t trade a truly elite edge who’s only about to turn 26.
I agree, they really shouldn’t trade Parsons. They may have messed up the coaching hire so badly that they have to, though. Jerry continues to play games, and every time it burns his franchise.
I have argued, and will continue to, that Lamb should have been the traded party. WRs don’t touch the ball enough individually to outweigh the impact of a dominant defensive lineman or even decent level quarterback on every snap, and there were several teams last year that were looking for quality receivers.
Alas, that is in the past, but of the three, Parsons is the most generational. There’s no question that Dallas would get a significant haul for him, but anyone that’s picked to replace him could only be expected to be partially as good at best. If it comes down to it, those picks would need to go into the offensive line again, but at least one good one would have to go into replacing Parsons, as well. Dallas has picked a few defensive edge players lately, but there’s not one yet who’s shown himself to be reliable enough for us as outside observers to be fully confidant in as a replacement full time.
I agree completely. It isn’t easy to find a WR the same caliber as Lamb, but you can find productive WRs a lot easier than you can generational talents like Parsons. But I think they’ve burned their bridges to an extent with Parsons now to the point he has (rightfully) lost faith in the franchise leadership.
Poll: who is more handsome, Myles Garret or Micah Parsons?
Go back to the ESPN app please
IMHO, they should’ve traded Prescott. Real good, but not elite, and sucks up a ton of payroll. You can never tell what the return would’ve been, but guys like Watson & Wilson got huge returns, and neither are as good as Prescott.
I know it wasn’t allllll Russ, but, Wilson won a super bowl. so one could argue Wilson might have been worth it based on past credentials.
Much like Prescott, Wilson was good, but not elite, and quite a bit older than Prescott. They were paying Wilson the kind of money that you’d pay to extend your own QB, plus an enormous trade package.
For the overall #9, #40, #5, #37, plus Fant et al, should really land you the overall #1/1. Then you have a young QB at a low cost.
They couldn’t. He had a no trade in what was his existing deal. I wanted them to let him play out this last season, take the dead money hit this upcoming year while trading parsons, suck even worse than we normally do in 2025-2026 and use the parsons haul new cap space and higher draft picks from being terrible to build the team back up. Just a thought it could be a bad one.
Like it or not, Dallas is rebuilding. They are going to be 3rd place in their division next year. They’re not making the playoffs. Jerry’s complete lack of ability to accept reality will dog this team until he dies. They might as well trade Parsons and I expect CD will be agitating to get out sooner rather than later too.
A Herschel walker kinda trade ..to kickstart a new era
EXACTLY !!
Jerry needs to call the Vikings.
Cowboys snookered them once before and
the haul they got springboarded the team to a new era.
The Walker trade was once in a lifetime. You’re more likely to have a Khalil Mack trade result.
Hey Nico, hold my beer!
Say you’re the Titans
You’re in a weak division
Do you sign Sam Darnold and trade just the #1 for Micah Parsons sign him to an extension to put him on the same line as Sweat and Simmons?
Would give Dallas #1 and #11
Titans grab their QB in free agency and add a premier pass rusher in a weak division.
You could just draft Abdul Carter 1/1 and not have to pay him for a while
It’s an intriguing idea on the Titans’ end-but would Dallas want the #1 without a clear target on their end? They’re not picking a QB there (unless they really blow it up and someone is willing to take on Prescott’s megadeal), and there’s not one that seems worth it. You figure that it’d be Hunter or Carter at one, either of which could benefit the Cowboys, but I don’t know if it’s worth losing Parsons for that. If that happens, it’d have to be a foregone conclusion that he wasn’t being re-signed, methinks, and the Cowboys would need a clear target in mind.
Nonetheless, I could see how, with some savvy trading, Dallas could use this trade potentially to amass several picks for a handful of impact players. If so, they’d have to pull the trigger soon to get started on discussions for trading other picks, because the haul for Parsons probably won’t all stay with Dallas afterward.
What can you realistically get for Parsons. 2 #1 and 2 #2? I’d do that trade
A smart GM wouldn’t take anything less than two #1s and a couple of other picks but it’s modern day Jerry we’re talking about.
After watching the Eagles destroy the Chiefs tackles last night, the Bills need to find a way to trade for Parsons or Garrett. Thats how close they are to winning it all, themselves.