Micah Parsons Wants Out: Are the Falcons in Play?

Micah Parsons wants out of Dallas after the star pass rusher’s contract negotiations fell apart with the Cowboys. Could he make sense for the Atlanta Falcons? 

Parsons issued a statement on X, detailing his qualms with the organization, writing, “I no longer want to be here,” before claiming that his requests to get an extension were ignored both before and after the 2024 season. Despite the contract dispute, he still showed up at the Cowboys’ voluntary workouts in April and has been present at training camp, though he has not participated in practices.

The 26-year-old pass rusher was taken with the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the same year the Falcons selected Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick. Since then, he has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league. Parsons, who has 52.5 sacks, has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons and has twice been named as a first-team All-Pro. He, alongside Hall of Famer Reggie White, is the only player in NFL history to register a dozen-plus sacks in each of his first four seasons.  

NFL insider Dianna Russini says that the franchise has “no intention” of trading Parsons, who is set to make $24 million this season before hitting the free-agent market in the spring. If they did opt to move him, Parsons would likely command a large return.

For reference, Khalil Mack was traded from the Oakland Raiders to Chicago in 2018. The Bears gave up a pair of first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick for the 27-year-old Mack, a second-round pick, and a conditional fifth-round pick. 

That deal would likely constitute the framework of any potential package the Cowboys would even entertain, so would that sort of trade make sense for Atlanta? 

Don’t count on it. 

After another season of struggling to get a consistent pass rush, Terry Fontenot showed how aggressive the franchise was willing to be to finally address the issue. 

They signed veteran pass rusher Leonard Floyd, who they expect to continue his consistent streak in Atlanta, before making some big moves in the draft. They took Jalon Walker at pick No. 15 before trading back into the first round to take James Pearce at No. 26, giving up their 2026 first-round pick in the process. 

Based on some of the early returns, their investment appears to have paid off. However, little will be known for sure until the regular season comes around. 

There isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t benefit from Micah Parsons, especially one that has continued to scrape the bottom of the barrel in sacks over the last decade, like Atlanta. If this opportunity had arisen in the spring, the team would have been silly not to indulge, but the proverbial hay is in the barn. 

The Falcons will surely do their due diligence on the potential deal, but they likely lack the immediate first-round capital to make a move that makes sense for both sides after making the move for Pearce. 

Will the duo of Pearce and Walker live up to the superhuman production of Parsons? Almost surely not, but the team should be inclined to find out on much more inexpensive deals – the duo will make a combined $9.1 million in 2024, or three times less than the All-Pro. 

Parsons in a Falcons uniform would surely be a welcome sight, but that ship may have already sailed, and that’s okay. 

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