Micah Parsons ultimately got what he wanted, even if it wasn’t from the Dallas Cowboys. Yet, we can’t act like the Cowboys didn’t have plenty of opportunities to make their best player happy.
After all, Parsons tried to get the Cowboys to agree to a long-term contract extension last offseason. More recently, he sat down with the Cowboys in hopes of getting a deal done.
Of course, we now know that the Cowboys opted to trade the two-time All-Pro to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks, plus Kenny Clark. The Packers promptly handed Parsons a four-year, $186 million contract, ending any chatter about playing elsewhere next year when he had been scheduled for free agency.
While we now know that the Packers obviously were the most serious about trading for Parsons, the Carolina Panthers also registered some level of interest. But they never made an offer. The Philadelphia Eagles also showed an interest in Parsons, but Dallas was never going to ship their best defender to an NFC East rival.
However, other NFL executives believe that Parsons may have also had an interest in playing for the Baltimore Ravens and/or Kansas City Chiefs, if the opportunity presented itself.
“A few notes from the Parsons fallout. One team that inquired about Parsons’ availability but ultimately didn’t pursue aggressively was Carolina. The Panthers made a call but did not formally offer a trade package to Dallas. Carolina would have made sense because the Cowboys were looking for a premier defensive tackle, which Carolina has in Derrick Brown. … In our reporting, multiple team execs believed that Parsons was intrigued by several teams in the process, including the Ravens and Chiefs. This was moot — the Cowboys were focused on getting the best deal they could. And the Chiefs were never in it. But it’s noteworthy nonetheless.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Micah Parsons
Could you imagine if a top AFC Super Bowl contender like the Ravens or Chiefs managed to add a top-five defender to an already strong core? It would have instantly made them the new Super Bowl favorites.
Besides, the Chiefs already have Chris Jones, one of the most dominant pass-rushing defensive tackles in the game. It would have been nearly unfair if Patrick Mahomes, Jones, and Parsons were all on the same team, coached by Andy Reid. Yet, with three Super Bowl victories by the Chiefs, we can see the appeal.
Meanwhile, the Ravens are still looking to get over the hump, and Parsons certainly could have greatly strengthened their chances too. While they already have a two-time NFL MVP on offense in Lamar Jackson, the defense could always use more playmakers like Parsons.
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