Four weeks ago tomorrow, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons asked to be traded. Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones shrugged it off as a negotiation tactic.
He’s reportedly not shrugging now.
ESPN reports that “several teams” have spoken to the Dallas Cowboys about a potential Parsons trade. And, for the first time, the Cowboys “appear willing to at least listen.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com adds that the Cowboys “would like to resolve the situation, one way or the other, in the coming days.”
If nothing else, trade talks coupled with, potentially, a new offer could bring the situation to a head. Maybe Parsons decides to take the best offer and stay. Or maybe he embraces a new team, even if it will be short handed in the near future, due to whatever they give up to get him.
Presumably, a Parsons trade package would include multiple first-round picks. And the new team would have to pay him upwards of $45 million per year in annual new money on an extension.
The Cowboys also could be inclined to ship Parsons, if anywhere, to an AFC team. The Packers have been linked to Parsons; the Cowboys should want to not have to compete with his team for playoff spots and/or seeding.
In the AFC, if teams like the Bills and Ravens are serious about catching the Chiefs, both should be burning up the phone lines to get a deal done. The Chargers and Broncos would also be intriguing destinations.
Or the Chiefs could get involved, if only to keep a rival from getting one of the best defensive players in the league.
