“Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here.” That lone sentence is not hyperbole or a spliced sound bite. Those are the exact words that Micah Parsons put on paper as he confirmed months-old speculation of his days being numbered in Dallas.
Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and one of the most feared pass rushers in football, formally requested a trade on Friday after the Cowboys failed to honor his request for a new contract. Not only that, but the Dallas front office also disrespected him.
The 26-year-old native of Pennsylvania took to Twitter (or X, or whatever Elon Musk is calling it these days) to send a clear-cut message to the franchise that drafted him 12th overall in 2021. Parsons is finished in Dallas. Done. Terminated. One week after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took a strategic shot at his injury history, the one-time Penn State standout fired back with a formal farewell. He is now seeking a trade out of Dallas, expressing his hurt feelings and raw emotions in a three-page Twitter missile.
“Yes I wanted to be here. I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet,” Parsons wrote. “I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this America’s team once again.”
“The team my pops and I grew up cheering for way up in Harrisburg, PA. Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here. “I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans, and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.”
Parsons is in the final year of his rookie contract, one worth $24.007 million in 2025. He wanted a long-term deal in line with the top defensive ends in the NFL, like the $123 million extension that T.J. Watt just inked in Pittsburgh. Watt will earn roughly $41 million per year as the highest-paid player at his position.
The Cowboys deemed Parsons unworthy of a mega-payday, instead prioritizing new contracts for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The end result? A change of scenery for an irreplaceable player. This is a guy who already ranks No. 7 on the Cowboys’ all-time franchise list for sacks (52.5) — a legit difference-maker in the defensive trenches, and a certified game-wrecker who Lane Johnson once referred to as a “bobcat on the field.”
Would Eagles Make Move for Micah Parsons?
The rumor mill immediately started spinning yards of Parsons potentially landing in Philadelphia. The Eagles do need another pass rusher — remember, they lost Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham in the offseason — but the coffers are almost bare in Philly, with OverTheCap estimating only $30.1 million in cap space.
The money just isn’t there. Well, that and … would the Cowboys be dumb enough to trade one of the best defensive players in the league to a hated divisional rival? Remember, Parsons is still (technically) under contract in Dallas. Stranger things have happened, especially under Jerry Jones’ watch, but it certainly doesn’t seem like a safe bet.
Then again … Parsons is a proud Pennsylvania native who was a former teammate of Saquon Barkley at Penn State — and, yes, there have been a few unconfirmed reports that he’d welcome a trade to the Eagles — so there are at least some tea leaves steeping. Never say never. But, with too many hurdles to overcome financially, it just doesn’t seem realistic at this point in time.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
