The 3 most likely conclusions to Cowboys/Micah Parsons feud

How do you think things end with the Cowboys and Micah Parsons?

Micah Parsons has always known how to command the spotlight – something you’d think would endear Jerry Jones to him even more – but the All-Pro pass rusher set the internet on fire Friday with his announcement that he’s requested a trade amid an ongoing dispute in his contract negotiations.

What happens next is anyone’s guess. The Cowboys have always managed to sign players to deals when they really want to, though not without plenty of teeth gnashing, but Parsons is certainly a unique example given how vocal and candid he tends to be. That said, here are the three most likely conclusions to this feud, ranked in order.

Parsons plays in 2025, gets tagged, and a deal gets done

The most likely outcome at this point is that no deal gets done before the end of the year, at which point the Cowboys would almost certainly use the franchise tag. Parsons could always sit out until a deal is done, but that’s a big risk that could see him lose millions by way of fines.

Besides, Parsons loves football too much to sit out an entire year, as evidenced in minicamp earlier this year.

The hope here on the part of Jerry and Stephen Jones is that the strategy buys them enough time to repair the relationship, and perhaps remember that a fundamental part of paying players is talking to their agent. A similar dynamic played out with Dak Prescott, though social media wasn’t nearly as big of a factor there.

This is a path that I’ve been cautioning against for months now, but it feels inevitable. The Cowboys are dead set on doing things their way, and Parsons is much more stubborn than most players they’ve encountered before.

Much like Prescott in the past, Parsons has all the leverage and he definitely doesn’t seem afraid to use it. Consider just how stark the difference has been for Dallas with and without Parsons on the field.

Parsons understands this, and it’s why he’s digging in now. The Joneses will eventually cave – they always do – but it’s a matter of how long they’re willing to hold out. That franchise tag gives them a much longer runway for said holdout.

Cowboys cave and pay Parsons now, plus a premium

On the topic of caving, the Joneses could always cave now. The overly public nature of this particular saga might be too much for them to handle. Jerry Jones might react to this sort of embarrassment by doing what billionaires usually do: throw money at the problem.

It’ll have to be a lot of money, though. Parsons has said multiple times in the past that he doesn’t necessarily need to be the highest paid defensive player, but that was before Jerry and Stephen made comments disparaging both Parsons and his agent. Now, the relationship is damaged and needs mending.

Time heals all wounds (hence the first scenario) but sometimes money can, too. If the Cowboys are going to get Parsons inked to an extension before the season starts, or even during the season, it will come at a steeper price than initially believed. And Parsons was already likely to draw a hefty price tag.

Presently, Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt leads all non-quarterbacks in both annual average value and guaranteed money; his three-year extension signed a couple weeks ago pays an average salary of $41 million with $108 million guaranteed. Nick Bosa, on the other hand, leads all non-quarterbacks in total contract value with $170 million.

If the Cowboys are getting a Parsons deal done now, after all the perceived disrespect from both sides, the numbers have to start there. A four-year deal paying $45 million a year would put Parsons at the same rate as Kirk Cousins, for comparison, with $180 million total value. However, Parsons’ agent may seek to make him the first defensive player to ink a $200 million deal just to spite the Joneses now.

This scenario is going to come with the highest possible price tag, which is why it isn’t the most likely outcome. Still, it’s a plausible path to a quick resolution, should the Joneses suddenly be interested in such a radical concept.

They pull off a trade that makes Herschel Walker blush

First things first, the chances of a Parsons trade are exceptionally low. Anonymous sources indicated as much shortly after Parsons’ bombshell announcement on Friday.

That’s hardly surprising, and it’s almost a certainty that Parsons requested a trade as a negotiating tactic rather than actually wanting to play somewhere other than the team he’s grown up rooting for. In fact, any such trade for a player of Parsons’ caliber would have to be so comically lopsided in terms of assets being exchanged that it would rival the infamous Herschel Walker trade.

That’s why this is the least likely outcome. Teams just don’t trade away that much capital anymore, largely because of that Herschel Walker trade. Three first-round picks is too much for teams to give up even for a star quarterback – the Browns did it, were immediately roasted for it, and have been trying to undo that damage ever since – let alone a pass rusher.

Not only is the rest of the league unlikely to offer what would be necessary for a fair trade, but the Cowboys are notoriously bad at trades. They’ve made comments in the past about waiting for teams to call them at the trade deadline, and have had multiple imminent trades fall through at the last second (see: Thomas, Earl and Adams, Jamal).

Parsons is a completely different animal (a lion, to be exact) when it comes to trade talks, and the Cowboys simply don’t have the wherewithal to talk another team into paying even fair market value for him, let alone getting a trade that makes it worth giving up such an immensely talented player.

That said, all it takes is one team to offer the right package (see: Harrison, Nico). And in the world where Parsons does get traded, it’s for something so ridiculous that it sets the team up for future success in a way no other trade could. If that sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is, but stranger things have happened.