Raiders One of “Few Teams” Financially Equipped to Trade for Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons made headlines last week when he requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys, and if the Cowboys are ever open to trading their star pass rusher, every team in the league, including the Raiders, should be interested.

With Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce in the building, the Raiders don’t necessarily need another edge rusher, but Koonce is playing on a one-year deal and Parsons is a generational talent.

In theory, the tandem of Crosby and Parsons could be as dynamic as any pass-rushing duo in league history.

The Raiders have kicked around the idea of trading for a pass rusher since GM John Spytek arrived in Las Vegas and according to NFL.com analyst Eric Edholm, there aren’t many teams better situated from a salary cap standpoint to add the kind of contract that Parsons would require.

Per Edholm on Friday…

“Few teams are better equipped to handle the financial burden of a Parsons contract extension than the Raiders, both in the short and long terms. They’re sitting close to $40 million under the salary cap now and boast nearly $100 million in space for 2026, per Over the Cap. Paying Parsons wouldn’t be the issue, even after extending Maxx Crosby.

And much like with a potential Parsons-Garrett pairing in Cleveland, the idea of Crosby and Parsons hunting AFC West quarterbacks for the next several years would be a frightening idea for the opposition. Pete Carroll led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title with a dominant defense, and he could tap into a similar formula with another stud on that side of the ball.

New GM John Spytek hasn’t been afraid to make some bold moves so far, so it’s not hard to imagine the Raiders trying to land Parsons. But coming up with enough in an offer might be another matter entirely. It might take their next two first-round picks and then some, and the Raiders are not dealing from a notable draft-pick surplus the next few years.”

For now, the Cowboys say they aren’t trading Parsons, but the Raiders took a similar stance with Khalil Mack in 2018 before they traded him.

If the situation between Parsons and the Cowboys gets contentious enough, anything can happen.

Parsons to the Raiders might be a pipe dream, but it’s at least noteworthy that they are one of a handful of teams would be able to handle his next contract from a salary cap standpoint.