According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons are not likely to reach a contract agreement anytime soon. Appearing on the Pat McAfee Show, Schefter said that the contract negotiations have gone “sideways”, and that he two sides are farther apart now than they were at the start of the offseason.
“The two sides have gone backwards, not forwards. I don’t think they’re speaking very much these days, if at all.” – Adam Schefter talking about Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys
It seems that both sides would be open to, and possibly welcome, a mutual parting of ways. This would manifest itself by way of a trade, and it would be the biggest blockbuster deal in recent NFL memory. Here is a look at five realistic destinations, based on the fact that the team would need significant cap space over the next four years (to accommodate a Myles Garrett-sized deal (4-years/$160 million). It would have to be a team destined for a deep playoff run the next couple of seasons, since they’d likely be parting with two first-round picks, and maybe even a couple of seconds (based on the Jalen Ramsey trade from Jacksonville to Los Angeles).
UPDATE: August 1, 2025: According to Adam Schefter, Micah Parsons has requested to be traded from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Seahawks went 10-7 last season, and had the league’s 11th-ranked scoring defense (21.6). The team already features Leonard Williams on the edge and promising 2024 first-round pick Byron Murphy on the interior of the defensive line. They picked up DeMarcus Lawrence from the Cowboys, but he is a shell of his former self. The offense has been overhauled by Mike McDonald, saying goodbye to quarterback Geno Smith and receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
If the team hopes to improve on last year’s efforts, they will need some sort of boost, and Parsons would give them just that. The team has $34.9 million in cap space this season, $53.3 million in 2026, and $129.4 million in 2027. They could easily make Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL, and hopefully that would be enough to get to the NFC title game.
The Raiders only went 4-13 last season, but week 18 of the 2024 season seems decades ago for this franchise. They brought in a defensive-minded coach, and arguably an all-time great in Pete Carroll. They added quarterback Geno Smith, who is a major upgrade over Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. Their scoring defense last year was a pitiful 25th out of 32 teams, allowing 25.5 points per game.
The silver and black still have Maxx Crosby, who is an all-world, elite defender. A player like Parsons could take some pressure off of Crosby and apply it to opposing quarterbacks. The Raiders have $37.8 million in cap space this year, $99.2 million next year, and $175.9 million the year after that. Parsons’ new contract would be a breeze, but since there is no guarantee he could lift them to the playoffs, parting with back-to-back first-round picks would be a major gamble.
Parsons was made for the bright lights of the world’s biggest city. Aaron Glenn is the new head coach, and he has a defense-first mindset. Unfortunately, so did Robert Saleh, and last year the J-E-T-S had the 20th-ranked scoring defense (23.8 ppg). They did manage the league’s fourth-best passing defense (allowing just 193 yards per game through the air), and they have locked up Sauce Gardner for the foreseeable future.
Will McDonald and Quinnen Williams provide adequate pressure from the defensive line, the linebacking corps is weak (Jermaine Johnson, Quincy Williams, and Jamien Sherwood currently sit atop the depth chart). Parsosns would be the team’s best player on day one, easily the conference’s best defensive player. New York has $29.6 million in cap space now, and will have $51.9 million and $130.5 million, respectively, the next two seasons.
In this scenario, the rich get richer, but in reality, it’s just a team with cap space using it. Despite just locking up one of the AFC’s best pass rushers, the team still has $18 million in cap space this year, $32 million next year, and $138 million in 2027. They can afford to pair TJ Watt with Parsons with some creative money moves and form the scariest duo in the NFL.
Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season, but it’s been 16 years since he’s won a Super Bowl. This is definitely Aaron Rodgers’ last hoorah, so the defense needs to go from great to unbelievable. Parsons would fit perfectly with Alex Highsmith, Patrick Queen, and Payton Wilson. That’s as fast a linebacking crew as anyone has seen, and it could be just what Tomlin and the Steelers need to hoist another Lombardi.
The Chargers make the most sense of any team listed. Their salary cap situation is sitting pretty ($31.5 million in 2025, $84.5 million in 2026, and $146.1 million in 20227), and there might not be anything on the planet that would make Jim Harbaugh happier than seeing the bolts on Parsons’ helmet. Khalil Mack is still effective, but he’s at the end of the line. Parsons would be an instant jolt of energy for the league’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2024 (17.7 ppg).
Justin Herbert has been held responsible for the team’s success, but he doesn’t have to be. Adding Parsons to the defense would take an enormous amount of pressure off the young quarterback to score like the Bengals did last season. Harbaugh has his national title, and now it’s time for him to get one at the pro level. He should be on the phone with Jerry Jones right now, trying to swing a deal.
At this point, it seems like just a matter of when and where for Parsons. Maybe Jerry Jones will get a bigger haul for him than he did for Herschel Walker back in 1989. It’s unlikely, but it will be a king’s ransom, and the most bitter pill of all will be Jerry having to watch another team win a Super Bowl before the Cowboys, thanks to a player he didn’t want to pay.
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