Report: Dallas Cowboys have had discussions over Micah Parsons, decision to pay or trade him

Could the Dallas Cowboys trade Micah Parsons instead of pay him?

According to reports, there has been discussion behind the scenes on whether or not to deal him, or keep him in-house. Parsons is set to $24 million on his fifth-year option year in 2025.

“While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king’s ransom,” according to Tom Pelissero & Ian Rapoport. “If the Cowboys are willing to listen, they may get it.”

The report reiterated that Dallas COO Stephen Jones said back in December that he “can’t imagine there’s a scenario where he’s not wearing a star on his helmet.” Based on the report from Pelissero and Rapoport, this may no longer be the case if they’re weighing their options with the young star.

After the Cowboys finished 7-10 at the end of the regular season, they parted ways with former head coach Mike McCarthy. Parsons commented on McCarthy’s departure, and subsequent promotion of former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. He noted that the team needs to stick together in these moments.

McCarthy was the head coach of the Cowboys from 2020 to 2024 and posted a 49-35 record with two NFC East titles.

However, Parsons recently talked about the “imbalance” he saw taking place within the organization during the last season. There, Parsons pointed out the road ahead for Dallas under their new head coach. He emphasized player development and the need for younger stars to step up into leadership roles.

“It’s gonna be tough now,” Parsons said on ESPN Radio. “Every team, they’re pretty much going all-in. They’ve got small QB bills. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to be ready to prepare our butts off and game plan and actually get guys better. We need to develop these young guys. That comes in on the players. Us players have to do better at developing young guys, creating a winning culture.

“Honestly, I think it’s good we’re kind of resetting. We’re resetting when it comes to certain players and things so we can just focus on building the culture. I just think there was kind of an imbalance of players, between the old-school way and the youth way. I think it gives leeway for guys like me to step in and take charge in the lead.”

On3′ Nick Schultz contributed to this report.