Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons has requested a trade, according to a lengthy social media post that details his protracted negotiations with the team.
Dallas has no intention of trading Parsons, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic, but teams are still expected to reach out to the Cowboys to inquire about his availability.
Despite the trade request, Parsons is not planning to leave training camp, according to WFAA’s Ed Werder, which would subject him to a daily fine of $40K. This certainly has the makings of an awkward situation, but teams have received trade requests from hold-ins in the past.
“I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy. … Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here,” Parsons said. “I no longer want to be held to close door (sic) negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans and my teammates.
“I no longer want negatives created and spread to the media about me. I purposely stayed quiet in hopes of something getting done, but there is confusion out there. Let me clear some things up.”
Parsons’ statement references Jerry Jones mentioning his 2024 injury, a high ankle sprain. The fifth-year defender said he had his agent (David Mulugheta) reach out to the Cowboys about a 2024 deal, and his statement indicates the team did not want to begin talks last year. Parsons said Mulugheta told him to wait until other deals were completed, thus seeing his price rise, but Parsons wanted to start the process before that happened. The DE’s camp alerted the Cowboys at the Combine about a readiness to launch talks, acknowledging how that route would leave money on the table. The aforementioned Parsons-Jerry Jones dialogue that set up parameters of a deal did not, per Parsons, constitute formal negotiations.
Mulugheta then contacting Cowboys negotiator Adam Prasifka led to a team stance, per Parsons, that the deal was already done. Parsons then said Mulugheta reaching out to COO Stephen Jones did not lead to negotiations. After Parsons’ camp put the ball in the Cowboys’ court following that attempt, the player indicates the team has not contacted Mulugheta regarding an effort to resume negotiations. That brings us to today’s trade request.
Last year, Brandon Aiyuk requested a trade and was allowed to shop around while holding in with the 49ers. That process led to the parties regrouping on an extension. The 49ers had developed a reputation for waiting too long on paydays, but the Cowboys are on another tier — based on the developments in 2024 and with Parsons this year — regarding contract timing.
This is a long time coming for Parsons, who had expressed confusion as to why the Cowboys were waiting this long — as the edge rusher market continued to be updated with market-setting extensions — to pay him. Parsons is almost definitely the Cowboys’ best player, and even as the team paid Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb ahead of contract years in 2024, a 2025 extension always loomed for the All-Pro edge rusher. But a report earlier this week pointed to progress stopping between the parties, leading to a rumor earlier today Parsons was considering a trade ask.
Parsons had long aimed for a deal to be done by training camp, having observed how extended negotiations can affect a player’s upcoming season. Zack Martin admitted his holdout affected his 2023 season. The Cowboys have not displayed expediency here, despite Parsons becoming extension-eligible in January 2024. The team’s reputation for prolonged negotiating sessions reached a boiling point last year, when Lamb held out into late August before being paid and Prescott’s deal was not done until hours before their season opener in Cleveland.
Parsons follows Terry McLaurin in requesting a trade. Unlike McLaurin, Parsons did not begin training camp as a holdout. But the two are using a similar playbook during slow negotiations. Each is not practicing due to injury, though as the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins pointed out this week, Parsons is not receiving on-field treatment for his reported back issue. This amounts to a de facto hold-in, which is understandable given Parsons’ frustration with the team.
Lamb did not request a trade, and Prescott practiced while his deal was being negotiated. Those proceedings unfolding as they did and then the Cowboys taking this path with Parsons has led to torrents of criticism, especially with the EDGE market exploding this offseason. Maxx Crosby topped Nick Bosa‘s $34MM AAV to set a new standard in March, and Myles Garrett topped it with a whopping $40MM-per-year deal. Danielle Hunter then eclipsed Crosby’s number, albeit on a one-year add-on, and T.J. Watt set a new standard — at $41MM AAV.
That market explosion sets up Parsons with a clear chance to enter the season as the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher, seeing as he is 26 — nearly four years younger than Garrett and five years younger than Watt. The Cowboys could see the price rise higher if the Lions pay Aidan Hutchinson before the season, but Jerry Jones has let it be known that is not exactly a chief concern.
The owner’s deep pockets notwithstanding, the Cowboys will still see an inflated Parsons rate affect their ability to build rosters long term, especially as Prescott is tied to a record-smashing extension (no player is within $5MM AAV of Dallas’ QB) and Lamb being on the league’s third-most lucrative WR deal.
Although multiple trade rumors cropped up between last season and the early offseason, the Cowboys should not be expected to budge here. They have a track record, cost notwithstanding, of completing big-ticket deals. Dallas also showed a willingness to bend on its preferred five- and six-year term-length preference — an outdated model as the cap continues to spike — by giving Prescott and Lamb four-year deals. We heard earlier this offseason term length could be an issue here, and while it is odd neither Jerry or Stephen Jones has negotiated directly with Parsons’ agent, the team almost always finishes these agreements.
Dallas also has not been shy about unholstering the franchise tag. That would be an obvious option with Parsons if the Cowboys cannot move past the finish line before Week 1. They went to that well with Prescott in 2020, after spending much of the 2019 offseason negotiating with Prescott. The sides did not wrap that negotiation until March 2021, as Prescott’s price steadily climbed — to the point the Cowboys executed a wildly player-friendly deal. That preceded Prescott scoring historically player-friendly terms on his $60MM-per-year extension. The Cowboys waiting with Parsons will only increase the price, barring a major injury.
The Cowboys could waive fines if Parsons did shift to a holdout, with the CBA granting them that choice due to the decorated EDGE being on a rookie deal. Even if the Cowboys (h/t ESPN’s Adam Schefter) have not traded a player coming off a Pro Bowl season since dealing Super Bowl-years safety Thomas Everett in 1994, they would run into considerable trouble if Parsons threatened to miss games. When Parsons has been on the field from 2021-24, Dallas has ranked as the NFL’s best defense (per EPA); they have, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, ranked as the second-worst during this span when Parsons is off the field.
Parsons has not technically made the threat to hold out, though his trade request does move him down that road. A true holdout would mean sacrificing $1.41MM each week. This situation has gotten ugly, a scenario that certainly could have been prevented with an earlier extension.
Nikhil Mehta contributed to this post.
Ha! I was just reading the “Parsons considering a trade request”, then I refreshed the app and here we are.
Wash and Dallas can flip two headaches – Mclaurin for Parsons
Jerry Jones is the headache. Giving a market contract to a top five edge rusher entering his age 26 season and arguably a top five most valuable non-quarterback in football is something most teams would love the opportunity to do. Jones is dragging this out unnecessarily and expensively, just like he did with Dak and Lamb.
All about power and ignorance
Didn’t he do this with Zeke, too? It seems like Jerry’s MO is to talk tough and fight his players on contract demands, drag it out forever, then completely cave and give them everything they wanted and more, anyway. Strange way to do business.
How is parsons a headache??? It’s more like old man Jones is. Parsons just wants what’s fair and what should be coming to him as far as money
You’re another know nothing. Parsons is a people bowler and TMc put up better numbers than Courtland Sutton but is paid way less. Learn to use facts in what you have to say.
I’d do that in a heartbeat
Jerry really screwed the pooch on this one. About time his son put him out to pasture before he runs the Cowboys into the ground.
Like he hasn’t already.
It’s going to be something dumb like they only wanted to guarantee 2.5 years, but then publicly blaming it on Parsons not accepting their deal to become the highest AAV non-QB. Then more uneducated fans screaming at Parson to “honor the deal”
Jerry always wants 5 years
Jerry the owner needs to fire Jerry the GM
Then Jerry the owner needs to swap Mike Brown the Bengals GM for one another.
Now we get one step closer to Jerry giving Parsons a huge contract he could have gotten done weeks ago and acting like he’s done a heroic act of leadership.
Future Eagle Parsons
Hard to see that happening without him reaching unrestricted free agency, and it’s hard to see that happening.
I wanted Cowboys fans to read the comment and have at small doubt in the back of their mind Howie might pull it off.
for 5 1st rounders maybe
I know you were half kidding… but we are going to need to pay Carter. Now if Micah wants to come to a winner and give up some money, we can talk. But Micah is in it for the money. I’m not faulting him at all….Philly can’t pay Carter and Micah big dollars. Jalen Carter $40MM and Micah $30MM? maybe…
Hurts could always take a pay cut.
why in the world do you think Micah would go for 30.
For real. Pay Carter $40 million but ask Parsons to take $30 million. Delusional.
Eagles fan, but it’s never going to happen. They have a large number of players soon due huge paydays. They will be taking care of current folks.
Play your deal. Chump.
That didn’t take long.
Giants get on the phone now get it done. Giants should have drafted him originally. I still think he stays
That’s what she said!
He’s actually played all four years of his rookie deal. During those four years, he’s been paid just under $17.1 million and put up 52.5 sacks. He’d be a chump to do Jerry Jones any more favors while Jones is wasting time on locking up a young superstar at one of the league’s most valued positions.
Jones should sign him but until then, play the deal you signed. Not a hard concept.
It’s always funny to me that a guy who calls himself Macbeth gets whiny every time a football player steps slightly out of line for personal gain.
Yet it’s ok for teams to cut players once the guaranteed money is gone?
Seth, you must be new.
Do the players agree to contracts with the guarantees outlined ahead of time in the event that a player is injured, cut, traded, etc?
Yes, yes they do.
Play. Your. Deal.
Macbeth, you both didn’t answer Seth’s question and then threw a red herring into your answer. Player contracts are almost never fully guaranteed. So of course they know what guaranteed money they are due, but they also aren’t usually getting all of the money they could earn if they were allowed to play the contract out instead of being released. The players are still always one injury away from losing it all, at any time.
Insisting that players play out contracts in sports when they are fully guaranteed and career-ending injuries are comparatively rare doesn’t bother me. But IMO football players should always be asking for every penny they can get, especially when you consider what the risks are for their post-career lives. If an owner is “dumb enough” to give out the money before the contract is complete, why not ask for it?
Uncle, then why not sign a guaranteed deals like Cousins did for a while? Why not have the stones to tell the worst union in sports to demand guaranteed deals instead of giving up more games per season, continued tags for teams, and other garbage the nfl keeps plucking from negotiations without somehow giving up guaranteed deals?
Every year it is the same garbage. Hold outs, hold ins, demanded trades, all this nonsense is exhausting.
“Every year it is the same garbage. Hold outs, hold ins, demanded trades, all this nonsense is exhausting.”
Then blame the owners, big boy. You don’t see hold outs or hold ins in baseball.
I don’t get how any of that if the individual player’s fault, Macbeth. You’re blaming Micah Parsons for taking action because his union didn’t get him guaranteed contracts? You think they haven’t asked for that before? The “garbage” you refer to is players like Parsons using the only leverage they can because the owners won’t even consider negotiating guaranteed contracts.
But you side with these same owners who won’t guarantee contracts when a player asks for reconsideration of the non-guaranteed contract that he’s badly outperformed and has no guarantees left in? Where’s the honor in siding with billionaires who don’t honor contacts either?
Macbeth, in the case of Parsons, who is on his rookie deal, he may have signed, but he didn’t get to negotiate the deal he signed- he accepted what he had to.
He has outperformed his deal.
Get. Your. Money.
@Macbeth: If owners want players to “play their deal”, they need to stop demanding non-guaranteed contracts in CBA negotiations. This is 100% on the owners. It’s the most dangerous of the major sports and a player’s career can end on any given play. The owners are the ones who make a joke of the contracts by insisting on the ability to cut a player for any reason and not pay them.
It is mind-boggling to me that in 2025 this needs to be explained to NFL fans.
Ezekiel Elliott wanted to play his deal once before the ’23 season, however the Cowboys cut him to avoid paying him the remaining money on his deal. Did you direct any comments towards Jerry to the tune of: “Honor your deal, chump”?
If not, please explain to me how that isn’t just a little hypocritical.
one sack in four career playoff games .. would love to see the cowboys sign him to a guaranteed deal more valuable then hurts
one sack in four career playoff games .. will be worth every penny of the $50+ mill per Jerry is about to overpay him
It won’t take nearly $50 million a year to lock him up.
And you know who else has one sack in four playoff games? TJ Watt. Myles Garrett has one sack in two playoff games. It’s almost like those guys have been double teamed and chipped constantly in playoff games.
The Cowboys could sign Frank Clark to play in the playoff games. He has 13.5 sacks in 17 games.
Frank Clark never had to see double teams because he was always on defenses with better players. Chris Jones only has 3.5 sacks in 22 playoff games, but he’s a big reason why the Chiefs have won three Super Bowls and been to two more. He’s also a big reason why Frank Clark has so many career playoff sacks.
Trade him. One guy on the defensive side of the ball not worth that $.
except he is.
I don’t see a trade happening, and I think Parsons is Dallas’ best player and a generational talent, but that said, I wouldn’t say that a mega trade would by default not be worth it. If the Rams were willing to give up two first and a second plus other picks for Brian Burns, what sort of deal could Parsons command?
Now, yes, granted, the Rams are the Rams and offer ridiculous trades (and we’re only saved from their own stupidity in that case by the Panthers’ even greater stupidity), but it’s interesting to consider what Dallas could do with a mega trade and without the cap weight of three mega contracts on the books at the same time.
Again, I’m not advocating such a move, but I can’t say that Parsons couldn’t net them something valuable and worthwhile in return. Dallas, for all of the constant stream of smack talk that people give them, actually tends to draft well. Now, one of those is basically a wash because you’d have to replace (more like “try” to replace) Parsons, but if they hit on three high end players for one while clearing a contract I couldn’t for sure say that wasn’t worth it. I think that this standoff ends with a Parsons mega deal, which should be good-the whole point of the draft is to find players like Parsons and keep them around-but there is a scenario where a trade does bring value to the Cowboys, here.
Scary Terry for Parsons. Yes or no?
no
Honestly any fan that says players should honor their deal are probably fast food workers. You have to be a special kind of ignorant to say that.
KC33-Yeah, don’t honor a deal you made. Be “that” guy. The one nobody trusts because you don’t do what you promised to do. You agree to do a job for whatever amount, screw that charge more. You got that wrong. You have to be some kind of a scumbag lying piece of garbage not to honor your word. And just FYI, you used the word ignorant wrong. Ignorant means you don’t know the meaning of something but you are willing to learn. Stupid is the word you were looking for. Do you work in fast food?
And your response solidifies my argument. How’s the BK life treating you?
This dude is just jealous of players. He wishes he could play the game and make that much money. He’s a keyboard warrior lashing out in jealousy.
“Honor the deal you made”. Then when an owner releases a player who still has time on their deal…silence. Every time. Ignorant, stupid, take your pick.
I actually have sympathy for the players given the non-guaranteed nature of NFL contracts, but why do people always feel the need to personally insult people who do advocate for playing out contracts? It’s so common that it’s like a mob mentality at this point.
Players should honor their deals, but it’s easy to see why they’d seek to protect themselves when teams also dishonor deals. That’s why I’m for guaranteed contracts-make both parties honor their word and eliminate the public soap opera and dramatics.
“but why do people always feel the need to personally insult people who do advocate for playing out contracts? It’s so common that it’s like a mob mentality at this point.”
If you’re talking to me, I personally mock this guy because he is constantly ripping the players in a disrespectful way. Every article about a hold out or a player trying to get more money, this same guy is there, ripping the players, calling them stupid, immature, chastising them with tough talk, etc. Calling them “a scumbag lying piece of garbage” for not honoring their contracts. And it’s completely one way. Never a word of criticism for the owners. Sure, it’s silly to rip him, but it’s the only language he seems to understand. I’ll do better, though.
It’s a matter of lack of empathy in my opinion. You can’t say you’re honestly putting yourself in their shoes if you know you would not want to be treated that way at your regular job. Yes, they make a lot of money, but they also put themselves at serious risk for permanent injury for the rest of their lives and even possible death. You would not go into a job that you could potentially die at every day without knowing a more guaranteed future on your salary, and you know it. If owners can cut a deal short players should be able to do that as well.
Call the patriots. They have the need and the. Money
I’m gonna go make some popcorn. Go Birds 🦅😂
I’m gonna go make some popcorn lol. Go Birds!
I’m gonna go make some popcorn for this one lol. Go Birds!
Got it.
The app glitched and wasn’t posting…until it did 🤦🏻♂️😂
That’s a lot of popcorn.
Since you’ve got so much popcorn now, can I have some? I’m hungry.
This is why some teams lock up players early like he wanted so they can avoid this headache. We all know he watches ball so you know he sees the Eagles do this all the time and he thought “hey, maybe Dallas can do this to me too since they value me so much”. If they really sat him down without his agent and thought they had a deal and Micah said no, that’s not a very good practice to have blasted to the media. This is only getting uglier and uglier.
The advantage there too is that you save some goodwill on both ends. Teams like Baltimore do this, too, and then when the team needs a restructure later (which always happens with megadeals), it actually behooves the team to have the player think, “Well, they didn’t screw me before.” So there is some advantage here for a team to try and preserve that goodwill-rarely do these megadeals stay intact, and it helps them later when they inevitably need a favor from the player.
Exactly. I can see holding off when you’re not quite sure the guy is all that. For example, when Redskins franchise tagged Kirk Cousins rather than signing him to a long term deal. But when you have a bona fide All-Pro who is also a good citizen like Micah Parsons you just lock them up on a top of the market deal sooner rather than later. Because later is always more expensive. And it pisses off your best player. But Jerry’s gotta be Jerry.
Good. Eff the billionaire class! For now he can Hold in. Only way to do it. Players should have fully guaranteed deals at signing. No void years available. Straight cash per year. 50% of the total take. “OuCh mY bAcK hUrTs.” 😂
McLaurin for Parsons
Parsons is much more valuable and the Cowboys just traded for Pickens to go with Lamb.
I would agree. Just throwing out one headache for another.
Parson isn’t a headache. For that matter, neither is McLaurin.
Thank you Jerry & Stephen for mucking this up as badly as we could have hoped 🤣😂 Go Birds!!!
Parsons: “I’ll huff and I’ll puff and …eventually allow my greed to make the decision for me”.
When you produce like a top talent, how is it greed to want to be paid as such? Please, explain that to me.
Parsons is the best player on that team, and he is going to already make less than his own QB- a quarterback that isn’t even top ten in the league. Of course, that’s the market. But, in order to not be greedy, he also shouldn’t even be paid as a top 10 player at his own position?
Sounds like a messy confusing negotiation – why am I not surprised that the most meddling owner in the sport has found a way to screw this up. Negotiating without the agent? Having non-negotiating conversations about contracts with various people in the organization and then holding the player to the terms of an ever-moving target? So weird but not surprising. Funny that they haven’t sniffed success since the mid-90’s when Jerrah ran Jimmy Johnson out of town and inserted his idiot sons into the mix.
Ehhh no argument on whether the Cowboys messed this up, but while Jerry is a meddler, I actually don’t know if I’d put him higher than Woody Johnson, David Tepper, or Mike Brown. I’m not on the inside, and I could definitely see Jerry as being the most involved, but I’d have to think that it’s at least close.
I suppose part of that question is whether or not meddling could potentially be positive in some cases. I’d imagine it could be in certain circumstances, even if it’s better to just have a competent and independent leadership structure. I’d actually trust Jerry more than those three (or Michael Bidwell, another contender), not that any are ideal owners to begin with. Jerry probably gives you some good and some bad (this being some of the bad), but the others are just negatives as far as I can see.
Raiders have some and cap room. Can you imagine Crosby on one side and Parsons on the other! 🤯
Some? They are 114 million under the cap for 2026…..lol
30 years and counting.
Article states his ‘fines’ would be 40K yet an article tied to Hendrickson mentioned 50K for his holdout.
Is there a difference based on Team or player position?
The article is correct in both cases, with the difference being Parsons is on his rookie deal. The fines for any player holding out on their rookie deal contract is 40k; any other situation it is 50k.
Well Parsons just made it clear he doesn’t wanna be a Cowboy. Now if he takes the money to stay, he looks like a complete sellout fool, which he’ll so because of money. If he’s gonna talk tough he needs to stand behind his words. He basically just said F Dallas. I’d have a hard time accepting a guy back after that.
Just trying to be an agitator. I’d bet money you don’t believe what you wrote.
Onto bigger and much better things with the
A. T. L.
F A L C O N S!!!
Who just traded their 1st next year to jump back into the 1st round we just had to get a 2nd pass rusher???
always fun whenever Jerry cos-plays being a GM