Micah Parsons requests trade, drawing line in the sand with Cowboys

Published 9:22 pm Friday, August 1, 2025

OXNARD, Calif. — Negotiations between the Cowboys and star pass rusher Micah Parsons have sparked mutual frustration. They hadn’t sparked a line in the sand, however.

Until Friday.

That’s when Parsons requested a trade from the Cowboys. He announced the news on social media but specifically said his request was made to Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones.

“Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract,” Parsons wrote. “Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years or anything else. Still I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.”

Stephen Jones had no comment about the news when asked by The Dallas Morning News. Calls to Parsons and his agent, David Mulugheta, were not returned.

Parsons may be only 26 years old, but it hasn’t taken him long to put himself in the discussion for a historic contract. Only four other players have had more sacks by the time they turned 26. His 52.5 career sacks trails only Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas (58), Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett (57), eventual Hall of Famer J.J. Watt (57), and Danielle Hunter (54.5). Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even said recently in an interview with KDFW-TV that Parsons is one of the smartest and most talented players he’s ever seen.

Parsons’ stardom has been certified. His payday felt inevitable. He is now deviating from a path that other Cowboys homegrown stars have walked before.

Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb both had tough negotiations with the Cowboys last year before they signed deals. Right guard Zack Martin and running back Ezekiel Elliott both held out before they were paid.

Up until Friday, it felt like Parsons was ready to follow their paths.

“I wouldn’t say it’s hard not to take it personally when you know there’s a chain of events of something consistently happening over the course of years, when you see it before through other plays and things,” Parsons said earlier in training camp when asked about his negotiations.

“I don’t take it personally. I just don’t understand.”

Now, a trade request has been made.

There’s been an escalation in Parsons’ discouragement over the course of the offseason, leading to this point.

Jerry Jones and Parsons have long been fans of each other. They’ve watched football games together, including the Super Bowl. Parsons, ever inquisitive, has talked about how he enjoys to pick the mind of Jones.

The two even met in March to go over a potential contract extension.

“We went over every possible detail,” Jones said.

The sticking point then and now has been the same. Jerry and Stephen Jones have yet to meet with Parsons’ agent, Mulugheta of Athletes First. The Joneses confirmed July 21 that they still hadn’t had that conversation.

At the NFL combine, Mulugheta spoke with Adam Prasifka, the team’s director of salary cap and player contracts. Parsons said earlier in camp that Mulugheta had reached out to Prasifka.

There’s also been conversations about the willingness to get a deal done by both sides. Parsons said in a podcast earlier this offseason that he wanted to get a deal done with the Cowboys last season, but they have instead drawn out and “complicated” things.

Recently, after the Cowboys extended tight end Jake Ferguson, Stephen Jones talked about the willingness to get a deal done, as well.

“We want to pay Micah, too,” Stephen said. “He’s got to want to be paid, too.”

That comment didn’t sit well with Parsons. He even called Stephen after it, a person familiar with the situation told The Dallas Morning News, to voice his displeasure. An apology was then made.

Other Cowboys players have voiced their support for Parsons during these negotiations. Multiple Cowboys players changed their social media profile pictures to photos of Parsons. Trevon Diggs — in his own verbal bout with the Cowboys’ front office — has been by Parsons’ side on social media and in person. He posted “7/11 4L” after Parsons posted a GIF with the caption “one last time.” Prescott and Lamb have both talked about how tough it is to negotiate with their owners.

“I mean, it’s an every year conversation,” Prescott said. “Whether it’s myself, Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, now Micah Parsons. It’s part of it in a sense. It’s something that I wouldn’t wish anyone was going through. Absolutely not.”

Lamb also reacted on social media.

“Never fails dawg,” Lamb wrote. “Just pay the man what you owe em. No need for the extra curricular.”

Even former Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant chimed in on social media. He thanked Parsons for doing something other former Cowboys stars didn’t.

“…we failed tremendously on standing our ground due to a lack of knowledge,” Bryant said in part.

Up until Friday, the standstill was on par with past negotiations the Cowboys have had. Parsons had even showed up to training camp, which is something others hadn’t done — even if he hadn’t practiced yet — in a sign of goodwill toward the Cowboys and specifically to new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Where the sides go from here remains to be seen. Parsons could skip games, as Emmitt Smith once did. He could leave training camp now that a request has been made.

Just because a request has been made doesn’t mean the Cowboys will acquiesce, however.

The Cowboys have the ability to use the franchise tag on Parsons after this season. The projected franchise tag for defensive ends — which Parsons would be, based on his fifth-year option designation — is just over $26.5 million, according to Over The Cap. If the Cowboys tagged Parsons in consecutive years it would be at 120% of the previous season’s salary. That would increase to a projected $31.8 million.

Both of those salary contracts would pale in comparison to the annual average value of some of the elite pass rushers. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end T.J. Watt signed an extension recently that will pay him $41 million per year.

“When you go around the league and see these other teams taking care of their best guys — I see T.J. [Watt] got taken care of, Myles [Garrett] got taken care of, and he’s got two years left on his deal,” Parsons said. “When you see a lot of people around the league getting taken care of you wish you had that same type of energy.

“I just say, ‘Must be nice.’ ”

Now, Parsons hopes another team could give him the same treatment.

“I’ve been pretty consistent: If they don’t want me here, then they don’t want me here. I’ll go about my business,” he said earlier in training camp.

“Like I said, as long as I’m here and under contract, I’m going to do what I have to do to perform at the highest level. But if this is the end, this is the end.”

That end seems at least possible now.

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