From 'Lifer' To 'Ransom' Rumors Persists About Cowboys' Micah Parsons

In this era of widespread misinformation and mislabeled "fake news," both fans were simultaneously right ... and wrong. With Mike McCarthy sent packing and Zack Martin retiring, the Cowboys are at a crossroads. No wonder their supporters scratching their heads about the direction of the team and the future of their best defensive player.

Parsons himself is sending mixed messages, saying within the last two week that Jerry Jones is his "dawg," that he indeed wants to be a Cowboys "lifer" but also that he if he doesn't win a Super Bowl in Dallas by age 30 he'll bolt to join the Kansas City Chiefs.

As for the team, NFL Network reported earlier this month that the Cowboys were having "internal conversations" as to retain Parsons or dangle him in a trade for a "king's ransom."

ESPN's Adam Schefter started the bewildering rumors in November when he swore that teams were having "conversations" about whether Parsons could be available for the right price. His presentation, though, was something short of "reporting'' and stumbled into "gossip.''

"Well, maybe we should call the Dallas Cowboys to see if they would trade some of their players,'' Schefter said, putting himself in the GM chair of 31 other teams. "Maybe we should check to see if they would be willing to move on from Micah Parsons, which I don’t think they would be, but those are the conversations that are going on.''

"Maybe we should" of course, is far different "we have."

Said Jerry about the Micah talks with other teams, "No. Absolutely not. We want Micah Parsons. He's integral to our future. We haven't had one conversation ever about not having Micah Parsons on the team. Ever."

The end, right? Or ...

On Super Bowl Sunday NFL Network resurrected the rumor.

"While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king's ransom,'' write Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero. If the Cowboys are willing to listen, they may get it.''

But says Stephen Jones, "I can't imagine there's a scenario where he's not wearing a star on his helmet."

Parsons missed four games this season but still finished among the NFL leaders in sacks, tied for fifth in the league and first in the NFC with 12. By hitting the double-digits mark, Parsons joined an exclusive group of NFL legends like Dwight Freeney, Derrick Thomas and Reggie White by recording at least 10 sacks in each of their first four seasons.

He's an elite player, everyone can agree on that. But not much else.