One the best defensive players in the National Football League recently was traded as the Dallas Cowboys shipped Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Even after a few days, it’s still pretty shocking. The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the 2025 season on Thursday against the Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers played on Friday. Real games are here and now the expectation is that Parsons will take the field with the Packers on Sunday when they take on the Detroit Lions.
Reports surfaced throughout the week saying that the Eagles — like Green Bay — pursued Parsons, but the Cowboys didn’t want to deal within the division.
“One team that made a strong play this summer to try to trade for All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons was none other than the Philadelphia Eagles, per league sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said. “The Eagles called the Cowboys to see if they could acquire Parsons and bring him back to Pennsylvania. But the Cowboys had no interest in trading Parsons in the division, especially to the defending Super-Bowl champion Eagles, whom they open with tonight.”
The Philadelphia Eagles tried to land Micah Parsons
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini followed up and shared that the Eagles were among the two teams Parsons was interested in, along with Green Bay.
“It was already over for Parsons and the Cowboys, but this confirmed it,” Russini said. “As the relationship deteriorated, Parsons had two teams on his mind: the Packers and the Eagles. Green Bay appealed for its small-town feel, a reminder of his Penn State days in State College. Philadelphia was the other obvious fit, because it’s close to his Harrisburg home. But Dallas wasn’t about to keep him inside the NFC East, even for a better offer (the Eagles have tons of draft ammunition).
“About a week before the deal was finalized, word spread that the Cowboys’ stance on dealing their star had shifted. “We’re not trading Parsons” had quickly become “OK, what can we get?” That opened the door. The Colts, Panthers, Bills and Patriots all made calls and were told the price: two first-round picks, a significant player, and, of course, a record-setting contract.”
Imagine if the Cowboys had been willing to get a deal done? It’s still pretty shocking nonetheless.
