Steelers Have Trade Price for Micah Parsons

Parsons referenced being irked by some passive aggressive comments from Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones, who seemed to call into question his availability towards the beginning of training camp.

"Just because we sign him doesn't mean we're going to have him," Jones said, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "He was hurt six games last year (actually four). Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest-paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two-thirds of the year in Dak Prescott. So there's a lot of things you can think about, just as the player does, when you're thinking about committing and guaranteeing money."

Parsons had been "holding in" at Cowboys camp in Oxnard, Ca. as a bit of a good faith tactic amidst contract talks, but now he may be looking to leave the organization that selected him in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

The edge rusher market has exploded this offseason, and no one knows that better than the Steelers. After Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett set the new standard with a four-year, $160 million deal, which had initially been preceded by his own trade request, Pittsburgh gave in and handed T.J. Watt a three-year, $123 million contract on July 17 that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history from an average annual value (AAV) standpoint.

After locking up Watt long-term, there's no world in which Pittsburgh would go out and look to trade for Parsons, even during an offseason that's seen the organization bring in plenty of veteran talent.

If we were to suspend disbelief and assume the Steelers were in on Parsons, however, the price it would take to acquire him would be astronomical. ESPN's Adam Schefter compared the situation to that of Khalil Mack, who was dealt from the Oakland Raiders to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2018 campaign.

At that point in time, Mack was 27-years-old and had won the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2016. Parsons, who's currently 26, has an impressive resume of his own at such an early stage in his career with two first-team All-Pro nominees and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award under his belt.

The Bears sent a pair of first-rounders, a third-round pick and a sixth-round selection to Oakland for Mack, a second-rounder and a conditional fifth-round pick.

Dallas would expect a similar package, if not more, in exchange for Parsons as he enters the final year of his rookie contract. Any deal would be contingent on him signing an extension that would almost certainly best Watt's record-setting mark too, further raising the price.

For all we know, Parsons may just be using his trade request as leverage in talks while hoping that Dallas gives in to his demands. There's a world in which he truly does want to be moved, but the Steelers wouldn't be among the teams vying for his services if that were to be true.