Inside The Star
The confetti might still be falling on the turf in Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana after the Philadelphia Eagles dismantled Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champions in a 40-22 rout.
It was a dominant show of force from the Eagles, who controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage for the entirety of the game, once leading by as many as 34 points before Kansas City got on the board.
As the clock hit zeroes on Sunday night, it not only signaled a full calendar year of having to deal with Eagles fans saying they are the champions, but it also signaled the official end to the NFL season.
Our focus now turns towards free agency and the draft, but first, we must power through the litany of rumors and speculation that we will encounter throughout the process.
One of which has already started. There is a report floating around on Twitter/X that the Dallas Cowboys have had internal conversations about whether to pay EDGE Micah Parsons, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal.
The alternative to paying him upwards of the $35 million a year that he will likely command for an extension is to trade him away for a king’s ransom. But how much could the Cowboys get in return?
Let me be clear. I don’t think there is any chance Parsons is going to be traded, especially after the Dallas Mavericks just traded away Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. The city of Dallas would implode on itself. However, what could a trade look like for the Cowboys?
We have a few examples from recent years to help show us if the king’s ransom would be worth it or not.
Bears receive: EDGE Khalil Mack, 2nd round pick, conditional 5th round pick
Raiders receive: 2 1st round picks, 3rd round pick, 6th round pick
The Oakland Raiders traded away Khalil Mack just before the 2018 season after contract negotiations came to a stand-still.
Mack had 40.5 sacks in his first four seasons, and was a player on the rise, having already been selected to two 1st Team NFL All-Pro selections on top of an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
By comparison, Micah Parsons already has 52.5 sacks through his first four seasons, so he would likely command a higher trade package in return.
Oakland took the picks from the Mack trade and turned them into RB Josh Jacobs, CB Damon Arnette, WR Bryan Edwards, and WR Trevor Davis (acquired via trade with Green Bay).
Out of those players, only Jacobs can be called a success, and now he runs behind the Green Bay Packers offensive line. This trade was definitely not worth it for the Raiders.
Rams receive: CB Jalen Ramsey
Jaguars receive: 2 1st round picks, 4th round pick
The Jaguars were at an...
