Micah Parsons trade request: Brian Schottenheimer still expecting Dallas Cowboys star to attend practice

The Micah Parsons trade request saga took an interesting turn Saturday when Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed local media members. When asked if Parsons would attend practice, the head coach gave an intriguing answer.

“I would hope so,” Scottenheimer said. So basically, there’s no guarantee the star pass rusher will be in attendance. Considering Parsons no longer wants to be a Cowboy, based on his statement, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him sit out.

Schottenheimer also said he didn’t feel like he was caught in the middle of the Parsons and Cowboys’ management. Being able to see both sides of the situation, the first-year head coach remained pretty neutral on the subject.

Parsons, 26, is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The two-time All-Pro pass rusher revealed that he initially approached the Cowboys about a contract extension after the 2023 season. Dallas “did not want to start any negotiations at that point.” Fast forward to this past March, Parsons met with Jerry and Stephen Jones to talk about leadership. Parsons said the conversation shifted into a discussion about his contract. He informed Jones that his agent, David Mulugheta, would reach out.

When Mulugheta reached out, he was told the deal was “pretty much already done” — this wasn’t the case. From there, the Cowboys “went silent,” according to Parsons.

“Up to today, the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract,” Parsons said. “Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years or anything else.”

As far as if Parsons’ situation could change as far as a contract is concerned or if he actually gets traded, it’s currently a waiting game. He’s a special talent that Dallas wouldn’t necessarily want to get rid of.

“We’ve seen a lot of high profile players around the league request trades recently only to stay with their teams or get a deal done,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said. “While this could be the case here in Dallas, the situation is different because Parsons is only on a second contract. He’s in his mid 20s. He really has no blemishes as far as who you would give mega money to. He’s not really injured very often. He’s got massive production. He’s on a Reggie White like trajectory as a pass rusher, and so because of that, there would be immense value on the trade market. 

“Teams would be willing to give up a lot. You know, I checked one team that said, like, it would be a first round pick, and a lot more. It might even be two first round picks, just because you’d be getting such a unique player. A lot of times, teams don’t want to make these kinds of trades now, because you have to turn around and pay a guy, you know, 35, $40 million. This one would be different. Teams would be quite comfortable doing it.”