Micah Parsons landing spots: Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher personally requests Stephen Jones trade him away
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons hit the nuclear button with him and the team's front office at an impasse in contract talks: he has requested a trade.
Parsons posted on Friday afternoon that he personally sent a trade request to Cowboys COO and EVP Stephen Jones. The 26-year-old entered the 2025 offseason hopeful about getting a long-term contract extension done with Jerry and Stephen Jones by getting contract talks started in a one-on-one meeting on Jan. 10. Dallas' inactivity combined with their latest barbs exchanged through the media have led Parsons to decide he's had enough of playing chicken with his financial future in Dallas.
Should the Cowboys actually decide to acquiesce Parsons' request, they could receive a haul of picks, including multiple first-round picks. Parsons is the first player since sacks began being tracked as an individual statistic in 1982 to have 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons in the NFL. Hall of Famer Reggie White accomplished the feat in his first four seasons played in the NFL but not in his first four years in the league: White was the fourth overall pick in the 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft but didn't begin playing NFL football until the 1985 season. Parsons' 330 quarterback pressures since entering the NFL as the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft are tied for the most in the league with Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby, according to TruMedia.
There is a chance Parsons could still be re-signed after making this trade request. Look no further than Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns this offseason. However, where could Parsons land if traded? Here is a look at six potential landing spots based on teams that have enough cap space to fit the All-Pro's $24.007 million fifth-year option into their budget and Dallas' potential willingness to deal him to said teams. All cap space figures are according to OverTheCap.com.
New England Patriots2025 cap space: $59.937 million
Despite spending an NFL record $361 million in free agency this offseason, the rebuilding New England Patriots still have money to burn. They have the most cap space in the entire NFL at this very moment (59.937 million), and they could easily fit Parsons' fifth-year option or a new, long-term extension onto their books. Those are the perks that come with having quarterback Drake Maye on his rookie deal for a few more years.
New head coach Mike Vrabel, a former linebacker himself, would love nothing more than to build the identity of his Patriots through the defensive side of the ball like the early years of the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady dynasty teams that he played for in the early 2000's. New England signed Milton Williams away from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and won the bidding war for longtime Tennessee Titans edge rusher Harold Landry III in free agency. Adding Parsons to play alongside those two and Christian Barmore could give the Patriots one of scariest defensive fronts in the entire league.
Los Angeles Chargers2025 cap space: $31.499 million
The Los Angeles Chargers made a massive leap in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era in 2024, going from a 5-12 team in 2023 to 11-6 this past season and earning a playoff berth. However, they were unable to bother Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud enough in a 32-12 wild card round defeat, despite the Texans' struggles to keep Stroud upright all year long. In a division with Kansas City Chiefs three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, the Chargers could use as much pass rush help as they can get.
Nine-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Khalil Mack is on a one-year contract at the age of 34, so the Chargers will need a new anchor on their defensive line. Parsons, who is eight years younger, could certainly be that for Los Angeles for years to come.
Green Bay Packers2025 cap space: $31.234 million
A trade going down between the Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, one of Dallas' longtime playoff bogeymen of late, is unlikely. However, there's a chance Jerry and Stephen Jones could view sending Parsons to the smallest city with a pro sports team in the United States -- Green Bay has a population of 106,311 according to 2024 United States Census Bureau data -- as a punishment.
Green Bay needed their pass rush to come through at key moments throughout last season, and it wasn't able despite what the team's 45 sacks (tied for the eighth-most in the NFL) and quarterback 35.3% quarterback pressure rate (13th in the NFL) indicated in 2024. The Packers making this move for Parsons could set them up to break through for Super Bowl glory, much like their signing of Reggie White in the 1990's did. They've been the youngest team in the NFL the last two years, and they've reached the postseason in both seasons. This could be the move that lifts Green Bay to the next level in the Jordan Love era. It remains to be seen if the Cowboys would be willing to pick up Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst's phone call.
Las Vegas Raiders2025 cap space: $37.801 million
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to enter the 2025 season with the oldest head coach in NFL history with Pete Carroll, whose 74th birthday is on Sept. 15. Carroll and the franchise are certainly looking to win now. That's why they traded for quarterback Geno Smith, who turns 35-years-old on Oct. 10, and drafted Ashton Jeanty, college football's best running back, sixth overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pairing Parsons with Maxx Crosby, the player he is tied with for more quarterback pressures in the NFL since 2021, would give Las Vegas the most fearsome pass rush duo in the NFL. The Raiders are also familiar with the price necessary to acquire a talent like Parsons given they traded away a similar one in Khalil Mack back in 2018.
Arizona Cardinals2025 cap space: $35.475 million
The Arizona Cardinals had a league average defense in 2025 under head coach Jonathan Gannon, ranking 15th in the NFL in scoring defense (22.3 points per game allowed). They've been aggressive in working to become a top 10 unit this offseason, signing former Gannon protege Josh Sweat away from the Super Bowl champion Eagles, signing franchise legend Calais Campbell, drafting Ole Miss' Walker Nolen in the first round and drafting Michigan All-American cornerback Will Johnson in the second round.
Trading for Parsons could vault Arizona back to playoff contention after missing the postseason for the last three years. The Cardinals also have just one playoff appearance (2021) in the last nine seasons. A young, hungry team like this could make an ideal trade partner for Parsons.
New York Jets2025 cap space: $29.624 million
A trade to the New York Giants is out of the question, but a trade to New York's AFC team could make sense. The Jets just locked down two key pieces of their core this offseason by re-signing wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner. Adding another young, elite talent in Parsons could be exactly what the Jets need to get their mojo back in Year 1 under new head coach Aaron Glenn. They have just the right amount of cap space to get the deal done, and reinforcing their defense to support a talented but inconsistent quarterback in Justin Fields would be reminiscent of the mold from the peak Rex Ryan years in 2009 and 2010.
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