Former Cowboys player has an outlandish Micah Parsons take, but isn't far off

The 2025 NFL offseason has arrived, which means it’s the Dallas Cowboys’ time to shine. Over these next few months, the Cowboys can trot around like they’re still amid a dynastic run. The never-ending entertainment at Jerry Jones’ amusement park has already begun. Just days after Super Bowl LIX, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott somehow managed to use Philadelphia’s championship as proof that the Cowboys are Super Bowl contenders.

In reality, the Cowboys have not made it past the NFC’s quarterfinal divisional round since 1995. Their last NFC Championship Game appearance was 29 years ago, which now stands as the longest active drought among all NFC East teams. 

As the Cowboys head into another tumultuous offseason, contract extensions are likely to take center stage once again. Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is due for a contract extension that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. He is entering the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, which will earn him $24 million in 2025, but he’s made it clear that he’s looking for a new deal.

Former Cowboys player believes Micah Parsons should be traded

Although there have been reports that the Cowboys could move on from Parsons, the expectation has been that they will ultimately find a way to get a deal done. During ESPN’s “UNSPORTSMANLIKE” show on Wednesday, former Cowboys defensive lineman Chris Canty expressed that trading Parsons would be in the team’s best interest. 

“I'm about to say something that goes against everything I believe in … about team building,” Canty said on Wednesday. “I can't believe I'm going here. I can't believe I'm about to say this. The Dallas Cowboys need to trade Micah Parsons. They need to trade Micah Parsons. They have to, at some point, start taking culture seriously.”

Canty praised Parsons’ on-field talent, but criticized his off-field behavior. The perennial All-Pro linebacker has generated headlines and created distractions with controversial comments on his podcast and social media.

"I don’t believe you don't get closer to winning championships by giving away pass rushers of Micah Parsons ilk,” Canty said. “This guy hasn’t even scratched the surface in terms of his overall potential. … But when you got somebody that has … gotten himself in trouble with his podcast, saying certain things about his teammates, about the league, leaving guys out of lists when it comes to top-rated quarterbacks, so on and so forth. There's an opportunity for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason to show the rest of that locker room that our culture here matters, and we want guys that are not only bought in and going to work hard and do all the right things, but they’re going to say all the right things. And they’re going to empower, they’re going to uplift, they’re going to lead the right way. The Dallas Cowboys don’t have enough of that in their locker room.”

While the Cowboys certainly have a culture issue in their locker room that needs to be addressed, trading Parsons likely won’t solve anything. At this stage, the only message that would send to the rest of the locker room is that the Cowboys aren’t trying to win a championship. The culture issues in Dallas start with owner Jerry Jones, who often seems to be more concerned with retaining the “America’s Team” moniker than winning a Super Bowl title.

Parsons certainly deserves criticism for his antics, but that is an issue that should be addressed by veteran leaders on the team. Until they can do that, the Cowboys will just produce more players that end up having the same issues.