The Dallas Cowboys insist they have no intention of trading Micah Parsons before the start of the 2025 season, but Adam Schefter believes it is inevitable that the two sides will part ways at some point in the fairly near future.
Schefter spoke about the Parsons situation during the latest episode of his podcast, which was released on Tuesday. The ESPN reporter said there has been no progress in contract negotiations because Parsons and the Cowboys are “not even talking.” Schefter described the two sides as “dug in” and said they have not spoken since April.
While there have been countless examples of star players publicly squabbling with their teams before coming to an agreement, Schefter does not envision that happening in Dallas.
“I see these two sides headed toward divorce in time. The only question is when is that divorce gonna happen and how is it gonna happen,” Schefter said. “Are they gonna trade him now? Are they gonna trade him after this year? Are they gonna move on, when? But it certainly doesn’t feel like these two sides want to enter a long-term relationship together. That’s the way it feels today, and we’ll see if they do anything to change that before the regular season begins in a couple of weeks.”
The current state of relations between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2025
https://t.co/Jev02smEr9 pic.twitter.com/7QL3fxdZ1R
Almost all issues between teams and players can be resolved with money. Earlier this offseason, Myles Garrett requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns and cited his desire to win as the main reason. The star defensive tackle then signed a record-setting extension with the team, which led to fans roasting him over his trade request comments.
The same could certainly happen with Parsons, even after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has criticized the four-time Pro Bowl defensive end for supposedly backing out of a handshake agreement. Jones has also taken more than one swipe at Parsons.
At any point, Jones could apologize in the form of an offer that makes Parsons the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history with the most guaranteed money. Parsons would almost certainly accept such an offer, as he does not have much leverage. The Cowboys still have the option of using the franchise tag on him in each of the next two seasons if they really wanted to play hardball.
Parsons, 26, has been one of the best pass rushers in the NFL since Dallas drafted him in 2021. He has 52.5 sacks through his first 63 games, including 12 in 13 games in 2024.
Should the Cowboys decide to trade Parsons, one notable NFC team has been named as a potential suitor.
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