Sportsnaut
Back in 2021, the Dallas Cowboys made Micah Parsons the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. Some thought the former Penn State pass-rusher/linebacker looked a bit thin to play along the defensive line, but the 6-foot-3, 245-pound speedster has since emerged as a full-blown superstar, earning four trips to the Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro accolades.
Yet, now it’s time to pay the man after producing four seasons with over double-digit sacks. Now entering the final year of his rookie contract, Parsons is more than deserving of becoming the NFL’s next highest-paid defender, rivaling the $40 million in annual average value Myles Garrett earns.
For whatever reason, the Cowboys have been taking their sweet time negotiating a new contract with Parsons, and the 26-year-old has gotten so upset that he’s requested a trade out of Dallas. Further speculation suggests Parsons may not even want to sign another contract with the Cowboys after the team’s refusal to discuss a new deal, long before this offseason even began.
However, now ESPN’s NFL expert Adam Schefter is reporting that Parsons and the Cowboys are “headed for a divorce.” It’s no longer a matter of if, but when.
“I see these two sides headed toward divorce,” Schefter said. “It sounds like at this point it’s personal. It sounds like each side is dug in. Right now both sides seem to be angry. Have other people put those feelings aside and figured out a way to work out a deal? Yeah. I don’t see that happening here. I see these two sides headed toward divorce in time. The only question is when is that divorce going to happen? Are they going to trade him now? Are they going to trade him after this year?”
The current state of relations between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys.
🎧 https://t.co/Jev02smEr9 pic.twitter.com/7QL3fxdZ1R
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 19, 2025
Parsons is coming off a season where injuries limited him to a career-low 13 games. However, he’s still been incredibly durable, playing in 63 out of a possible 68 games since arriving in the NFL in 2021. He’s also finished in the top three of NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting three times, finishing as the runner-up twice. If that’s not worth top dollar, what is?
If the Bengals are currently seeking what’s believed to be a first-round pick plus a defensive player for Trey Hendrickson, what type of trade return could Parsons fetch? The reality is that the Bengals likely won’t receive an offer that features a first-round pick, not even for the NFL’s reigning sack leader, since he’s already 30 years old.
Parsons is just 26, and he can be the focal point of a defense for years to come. Not only has he proven to be a consistent pass-rush threat, but he’d also provide a boost to ticket sales for any team he joins. Of course, they’d have to be willing to pay him...
