The Dallas Cowboys should not trade Micah Parsons. I don't think that's much of a hot take, as Parsons is the Cowboys best defensive player who is employed at a position of need for most teams. All that being said, the recent trade conversations regarding Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, who plays a similar position, as brough Parsons trade chatter into the forefront.
The Cowboys will have to pay Parsons eventually. They will have to pay him a ton of money. That alone will make Jerry Jones listen to trade offers for arguably his best asset. It was reported this weekend that Jones isn't working on an extension with Parsons despite the simple fact that the clock is ticking. Of course, this should not surprise us about Jerry – nothing should, really – and Parsons reaching free agency is a very realistic possibility in the years to come.
So, with that in mind, there is one scenario where a Parsons trade might make some sense, but it would also require a competent Jones. That is no guarantee. Parsons is not expected to hold out if the Cowboys reach training camp without extending him, either.
"I've got to be around the guys," Parsons said. "There's going to be rookies, there's going to be free agents — guys that come here — you don't know who's going to be there, so there's a chemistry part and people know what you can do, but people also got to see it from a leader aspect. So I still gotta be there for that part."
There's only one scenario where Cowboys should trade Micah Parsons
The good news for Dallas is that Parsons has his head on straight, and his representation knows what he wants. The bad news is Jerry Jones is, well, Jerry Jones. Dallas has already held internal discussions about whether trading Parsons is the right move. If they receive an offer they cannot refuse – think Herschel Walker-lite – then perhaps the Cowboys can be swayed.
Walker was traded for five first-round picks and three second-round picks, for those unfamiliar. While the trade market has developed quite a bit since the 1990's, the point remains that the Cowboys would need a package that would allow them to retool on the fly, rather than embracing a long-term rebuild with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on the roster.
For all we know, there is a team that values Parsons as a hefty price point, but the Cowboys are better off holding onto him.