Dallas Cowboys superstar linebacker Micah Parsons has been widely floated in trade speculation ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
There’s no indicator that Parsons wants out, or that the Cowboys are open to trading their franchise star. But as we saw last year with the likes of Cowboys Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase, a star player will always pop up in trade rumors until/unless an extension is in place.
So, until/unless the Cowboys re-sign Micah Parsons, the trade rumors will continue. But with the 2025 NFL Draft beginning on Thursday, this is the best time for Jerry Jones and company to maximize the return on a possible Parsons trade.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell proposed one blockbuster trade idea for each of the 32 first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. Regarding the Cowboys and the No. 12 pick, Barnwell proposed a three-team deal with the Atlanta Falcons and Cleveland Browns.
In Barnwell’s proposal, the Cowboys would receive the No. 2 and No. 15 picks from the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, respectively. Cleveland would get the No. 12 and No. 149 picks and a 2026 fourth-rounder from Dallas plus Atlanta’s 2026 first-rounder, with Parsons going to Atlanta:
“The Falcons would add Parsons, a 25-year-old pass rusher on a Hall of Fame track. They’d give up a little more than what the Bears sent to the Raiders in 2018 for Khalil Mack, another star pass rusher who was traded away four years into his career. Parsons has been more productive than Mack and he’s a year younger now than Mack was when he went to Chicago.
And for the Cowboys, they move on from Parsons and two Day 3 picks and get two first-round picks and a future third-rounder. With the Titans using the No. 1 pick on Cam Ward, Dallas would use the No. 2 selection to land Carter, immediately replacing Parsons in their lineup with a much cheaper player. The savings would matter in the years to come. They also would still have the No. 15 pick to use on another defensive tackle.”
The Falcons haven’t had a player hit double-digit sacks in a season since 2016, when Vic Beasley hit the mark. Atlanta makes sense as a logical landing spot in a possible Parsons trade, but of course, odds are that Parsons ends up signing an extension in Dallas.
Cowboys Need To Pay Micah Parsons
At the end of the day, the best bet is for Dallas to pay Parsons and build their defense around him over the long run. He’s only about to enter his age-26 season and has 52.5 sacks through 63 career games, and players of his caliber don’t come around often.
