Star Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons dropped a bombshell on Friday and requested a trade out of Dallas due to the team’s handling of his unresolved contract situation.
“I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys,” Parsons, 26, wrote in a statement he released on social media. “My trade request has been submitted to [co-owner] Stephen Jones personally.”
Parsons is the second prominent NFC East player in two days to request a trade, following Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin‘s trade request on Thursday. Parsons has been at the Cowboys’ facility sitting out of practice. McLaurin showed up to camp late and now wants out.
The Giants open the season with back-to-back road games at Washington in Week 1 and at Dallas in Week 2. So this division drama could benefit Brian Daboll’s team if the Cowboys and Commanders don’t put out these fires.
Parsons’ situation escalated because owner Jerry Jones cited Parsons’ six-game injury absence last season in an argument against paying him top dollar at a recent press conference.
“Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re gonna have him,” Jones said, referencing quarterback Dak Prescott’s 2020 season-ending injury after signing a big extension as another example.
Parsons also alleged in Friday’s statement that Jones had used a meeting with the player about “leadership” to try to negotiate and finalize a new contract without involving Parsons’ agent.
“I no longer want to be here,” Parsons wrote. “I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present. I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization our fans and my teammates.”
Parsons’ Cowboys teammates seem to be on his side, unsurprisingly, since Jones’ and the Cowboys’ regularly drag out player negotiations like this. And it’s getting old to them.
“Never fails dawg,” CeeDee Lamb wrote. “Just pay the man what you owe [him]. No need for the extracurricular.”
But this situation doesn’t sound salvageable from the pass rusher’s end.
The Philadelphia Eagles and big-game hunting GM Howie Roseman come to mind as a team that would take action in this kind of sweepstakes, with Parsons’ friend and former Pennsylvania and Penn State product Saquon Barkley on the roster. But it would presumably be a non-starter for the Cowboys to move Parsons in division unless it was for a king’s ransom.
Parsons is a two-time All-Pro with 52.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons. He is under contract this season for $24 million, but the Steelers’ T.J. Watt now tops that position’s market at $41 million per year on average.
McLaurin, 29, is coming off a career-high 13 touchdown catches and is scheduled to make a $15.5 million base salary and a maximum of $19.4 million in his seventh season. But he has no security past 2025 and seeks a raise after being the top offensive weapon for the best Washington team in a long time.
The longer both of these problems are left unresolved by Dallas and Washington, though, the better it could be for the Giants.
NABERS TOSSES HELMET AS OFFENSE FALLS SHORT
Russell Wilson and Malik Nabers connected for a couple touchdown passes in Friday’s long, padded Giants practice in East Rutherford, N.J. But Wilson threw two interceptions to safeties Tyler Nubin and Dane Belton that created more questions about the offense entering the 2025 season.
Nabers threw his helmet to the ground in disgust when Wilson ended a two-minute drill with a prayer that sailed over the receiver’s head into the hands of a leaping Nubin just inside the back line. Then Belton jumped a short Wilson pass during a red zone period for what would have been a pick-six in a real game.
The two-minute drill started with a Kayvon Thibodeaux sack of Wilson, but Daboll allowed the ensuing completion to running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. to count anyway. Otherwise, the drive might have stalled out immediately.
The game situation had the Giants trailing by five points, so Wilson had to try a mini-Hail Mary on the final play.
Rookie Jaxson Dart got the second-string offense over midfield and out of bounds to stop the clock at two seconds on a completion to Dylan Cambre. But Daboll for some reason didn’t allow a Hail Mary attempt from Dart like Wilson had attempted with the first group.
Jameis Winston delivered strikes to wideout Zach Pascal to get his third-string offense into field goal territory trailing by three points and ended up settling for a field goal after several end zone shots fell incomplete.
Winston delivered a strike to wideout Da’Quan Felton that should have been a touchdown, but Felton somehow dropped it with corner O’Donnell Fortune in coverage.
Fourth string QB Tommy DeVito, meanwhile, had a rough practice and was intercepted twice by corner Dee Williams. Williams, Nabers, rookie edge rusher Abdul Carter and backup edge Tomon Fox had strong practices.
Rookies running back Cam Skattebo and tight end Thomas Fidone II both left practice midway through the session.
Skattebo received two carries in his first practice action in three days and still had to leave. He is clearly dealing with an injury after Monday’s heavy workload in pads, although Daboll would not share the nature of the back’s ailment.
Undrafted rookie receiver Beaux Collins, who has had a strong start to camp, did not practice but was jogging on the side.
Reserve running Rushawn Baker looked like he had his bell rung late in practice on a block and was visibly shaking his head, but he stayed in the huddle and took two more reps.
Corners Cor’Dale Flott and Korie Black (injury), Greg Van Roten (paternity), defensive tackles Jordon Riley (injury) and D.J. Davidson (personal, per Daboll) did not practice. Defensive tackle Elijah Chatman was back at practice after an unknown personal issue on Thursday.
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