What Would Trading for Cowboys Star Micah Parsons Cost and Who Might Pay It?

Ralph Vacchiano

NFL Reporter

Micah Parsons doesn’t really want to be traded, and the Dallas Cowboys don’t really want to trade him. So the odds are pretty good that this whole contract drama will end with the All-Pro linebacker signing a long-term deal to remain in Dallas and becoming the highest-paid defensive player in the game.

But if it doesn’t, and the Cowboys choose the nuclear option and decide to trade him instead, they could get a franchise-changing haul in return.

“You’re talking about the best, most consistent defensive player in the game,” said an NFC personnel executive. “And it’s possible he hasn’t approached his ceiling yet, especially as a pass rusher. That’s got to be worth a couple of first-round picks.

“Maybe more.”

Micah Parsons is at Cowboys camp and participating in some drills, but he has requested a trade, saying on social media: “I no longer want to be here.” (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

What could the Cowboys get if they actually did put the 26-year-old Parsons on the block? Multiple NFL sources offered the 2018 Khalil Mack trade as the best possible comparison. Mack was 27 back then and one of the best defensive players and pass rushers in football. The Bears sent two first-round picks, a third-round pick and a sixth-rounder to the Raiders to get him, plus a second-round pick and a fifth. And then Chicago had to pay him, of course, giving Mack a then-record, six-year, $141 million deal.

“That’s the obvious starting point,” the executive said. “But Jerry [Jones] isn’t crazy. He wants Parsons. He knows he’s going to pay him eventually. And he knows Parsons is under contract and stuck for two more years.

“So he’s not going to stop at two first-round picks. He’ll probably ask for three.”

It’s all conjecture at this point, of course, but the point is pretty clear: The cost of acquiring Parsons would be enormous. And as much as every team in the NFL would want him, not every team would be willing to pay the hefty asking price, especially since whoever gets him would inevitably have to sign him to a contract worth $40-45 million per year.

So which teams might think Parsons is worth it? Here’s a look at seven that might want to try to make it work:

Buffalo Bills

It would take some serious salary cap gymnastics for the Bills to pull this off, and the cost would probably be higher than it would be for most teams. They’re a Super Bowl threat even without Parsons, so their draft picks are generally low, meaning the Cowboys would ask for more of them. That means the Bills would have to mortgage a lot of their future.

But it might be worth it for them, more than any other team, to figure out a way to get it done. They are a true contender, trying to reach their first Super Bowl in 33 years, but they have a middling defense and pass rush. That won’t cut it when they’re trying to get over the hump of the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC. The Bills have a championship offense, but they need a defense that can make the one stop when they need it against one of the best offenses in the league.

They added Joey Bosa in the offseason, but they need more. Parsons would be more.

Baltimore Ravens

They may not be as desperate as the Bills, but they’re in the same predicament — trying to build a defense that can stop the Chiefs when it matters most. The Ravens had a top-10 defense and the second-best pass rush in the league last year, but they still couldn’t get it done.

Like the Bills, they have plenty of offense. But they need a defense that can make the big stop with a playoff game on the line. Parsons, added to a pass-rush that includes Kyle Van Noy and Odafe Oweh, could be a game-changer in the conference. They have the cap room to make it work, too, and they have a deep roster in case they need players to sweeten the pot.

Los Angeles Chargers

Jim Harbaugh turned the Chargers into a contender in his first year, but the next step is a potentially big one. They flamed out in the playoffs in part because they couldn’t touch Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud. Their defense was strong all year and their pass rush was good, but they didn’t have a single player with double-digit sacks.

Parsons is the kind of pass-rushing nightmare they used to have in Joey Bosa, when he was healthy (and before they let him go to the Bills). But Parsons is better, more reliable, and more of a complete player. And players like him matter in a conference loaded with offensive juggernauts at the top.

Las Vegas Raiders

With Geno Smith under center and Pete Carroll on the sideline, the Raiders are looking for a quick turnaround. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

They have a head coach who’ll turn 75 in September and a starting quarterback who’ll turn 35 in October, so this isn’t a long-term rebuilding project. This is a team that wants to build quickly and win something under Pete Carroll in the next couple of years.

A great way to do that would be to build one of the most dominant pass rushes in the NFL, which might be what they have if they paired Parsons with Maxx Crosby. Those two have more quarterback pressures than anyone else in the past four seasons.

There’s still a long way to go for a team that went 4-13 last season, and Parsons alone won’t make them a championship contender. But he’ll make their defense instantly formidable. And with about $38 million in cap space this year and more than $100 million in 2026, the Raiders can pay Parsons and still have a lot left over to add more.

New York Jets

They have two highly paid defensive stars already, with Quinnen Williams up front and Sauce Gardner in the back. But they still have enough cap room over the next couple of years to pay for a star in the middle, too. And it would be worth it to bolster a pass rush that ranked 11th overall last season with 43 sacks.

That’s not bad, but considering the defense ranked third overall, it’s pretty clear where the weak spot was. That’s why the Jets traded for Haason Reddick last season, though that obviously proved to be a disaster. There’s no risk of Parsons being that big of a bust, especially playing for a defensive-minded head coach like Aaron Glenn.

And they might actually be able to give up fewer high draft picks than some other teams on this list because they could offer the Cowboys the running back they so desperately need in Breece Hall, a promising, explosive 24-year-old who was on the trading block during the offseason.

Chicago Bears

History will show that the Mack deal was worth it for the Bears, turning them into a strong defensive team that went to the playoffs twice in his first three years. So in a season where it sure looks like they’re going for it all, why not roll the dice on a big deal again and add a Mack-like player in Parsons?

GM Ryan Poles has already had a huge offseason, completely rebuilding his offensive line in front of young quarterback Caleb Williams. But he hasn’t done enough to fortify his 27th-ranked defense. He added defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. But the Bears are still missing a game-wrecker.

That’s something they need playing in a division that produced two of the top five and three of the top 12 offenses in football last year.

Washington Commanders

A trade to Washington would reunite Parsons with Dan Quinn, his former defensive coordinator in Dallas. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There is no way that Jerry Jones is crazy enough to trade a player like Parsons inside the division, so this is just a dream. Never mind that the Commanders have the cap room to pull it off and an aggressive GM in Adam Peters, or that their coach — former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn — knows Parsons’ value better than almost anyone else.

What makes this really interesting, though, is the potential for the Commanders to offer disgruntled receiver Terry McLaurin in return. Yeah, OK, the Cowboys’ need at that position was diminished after they acquired George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb. But like McLaurin, Pickens is in the last year of his contract, so the Cowboys could use them both and decide which one to pay later.

The Commanders have to include some high picks, too — a minor problem since they already traded their second-rounder in 2026 in the Laremy Tunsil deal. But Parsons, under Quinn’s guidance, would immediately turn Washington’s defense into a top-10 unit. And for a team coming off a surprise berth in the NFC Championship Game, that could be the boost they need to get to the Super Bowl.

Of course, that possibility is a big reason why this won’t happen. Jones wouldn’t risk helping a division rival beat his team to the championship he’s been chasing for 29 years.

[MORE: Micah Parsons Next Team Odds: Will Cowboys Trade Star DE?]

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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