Dallas Cowboys News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Contrary to popular opinion, Parsons isn’t the first to request trade out of Dallas

Originally posted on Inside The Star
By Mario Herrera Jr. | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 11:31 AM ET

It’s easy to think Dallas Cowboys DE Micah Parsons’ trade request is an unprecedented bombshell in franchise history, but the truth is, he’s far from the first star to want out.

In fact, Cowboys Insider Bobby Belt recently dug into the archives and found that eight players have formally asked for trades since Jerry Jones bought the team in 1989.

The surprising twist? Only three of those requests were actually granted, and none of them have happened since 1992.

What makes Parsons’ situation feel so much bigger is the era we’re in now: a time when social media turns every rumor, report, and reaction into a headline, and where the court of public opinion weighs in before the ink is even dry.

In other words, history is repeating itself, just with a louder microphone.

All the credit for the information in this article goes to Bobby Belt, whose thread on Twitter/X brought to light a situation we thought was brand new.

Follow along with me as I go into detail on the eight other instances where Cowboys players have asked to be traded away from America’s Team.

QB Steve Pelluer

Most fans probably don’t remember Steve Pelluer, but he was the starting quarterback for the Cowboys in 1988.

Pelluer ended up requesting a trade in 1989 after Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh were thrust ahead of him on the depth chart.

He was eventually traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in October of the same year in exchange for a 3rd and 4th round pick.

DT Kevin Brooks

The mammoth defensive tackle was the Cowboys’ 1st round pick in 1985, but never lived up to the hype.

Jimmy Johnson’s arrival in 1989 created some tension between the former 17th overall pick and the coaching staff, and Brooks requested a trade in May.

He was granted his wish just two short months later when the Cowboys sent him and a 4th round pick to the Denver Broncos for a 3rd round pick in the 1990 NFL Draft.

WR Alexander Wright

HC Jimmy Johnson and his staff drafted WR Alexander Wright with a 2nd round pick in 1990, but the wide receiver fell out of favor with the staff by 1992.

He privately requested a trade, and was granted that trade when the Cowboys shipped him off to the Los Angeles Raiders for a 4th round pick.

Johnson initially stated he would not trade Wright, but with the relationship severed, he got what he could for the disgruntled wide receiver.

RB Emmitt Smith

Perhaps the highest-profile player in franchise history to request a trade, RB Emmitt Smith was the first of the eight total players to actually remain in Dallas after doing so.

If you hear the story from Smith’s mouth, he would tell you that he didn’t officially request a trade, but as he was representing himself, he reached out to Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins.

Emmitt never quite made it back to Florida, as Jerry Jones gave him a record-setting contract to remain the Cowboys’ running back for years to come.

The rest is history.

WR Michael Irvin

The next highest-profile player to request a trade was another member of The Triplets: WR Michael Irvin.

This came as a shock to me, as well, but after an offseason of legal scrutiny where only QB Troy Aikman showed up to court in support of Irvin, he quietly requested a trade.

Details then emerged that Irvin first requested the trade in January of the same season after the Cowboys fell in the Wildcard round to the newest franchise: the Carolina Panthers.

Irvin held out of training camp, and even threatened to retire.

However, a two-hour meeting alone with Jerry Jones that we will never get the details for seemed to have saved the relationship, and Irvin remained a Cowboy until his unfortunate injury at Philadelphia in 1999 that forced him into retirement.

CB Mike Jenkins

Dallas would go 11 long years before another player requested a trade, and that player would be CB Mike Jenkins.

Jenkins made a Pro Bowl in 2009, but the additions of cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne made him feel slighted.

Ahead of the last year of his rookie contract, Jenkins decided to rehab his injured shoulder outside of the facility, and did not join the team until the start of the season.

He served as a reserve cornerback, and was not offered a new contract once the season finished.

OL Ronald Leary

After the Cowboys signed the talented undrafted rookie free agent La’el Collins in 2015, two-year starter Ron Leary lost his starting job.

The following season, Leary wanted out, but Stephen Jones refused to trade him.

That was good news for the Cowboys, as Collins would suffer a season-ending injury just four games into the season.

Leary started the rest of the year and into the playoffs, helping pave the way for RB DeMarco Murray’s franchise record-setting 1,853 regular season rushing yards.

DE DeMarcus Lawrence

The last player to request a trade (that wasn’t really a trade) was beloved DE DeMarcus Lawrence before the 2022 season.

Dallas wanted Lawrence to take a pay cut, but their offer was so low, he was insulted and instead suggested his time as a Cowboy may be over, and the team should trade him.

That didn’t last long, and the Cowboys gave Lawrence a 3yr/$30m guaranteed deal to keep him in Dallas until this offseason.

Tank, as the Cowboys’ fanbase dubbed him, is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks after signing with them in free agency.

This article first appeared on Inside The Star and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: