Browns Trade Pitch Nets Micah Parsons After Cowboys Flip Stance

The Cleveland Browns have several roster holes to address and spending big money on another edge rusher could prove a lopsided decision, but when there is a chance to acquire big game like Micah Parsons, every team in the NFL inevitably takes notice.

That is the situation as of Thursday, August 28, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Dallas Cowboys are fielding offers for the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker and are more open to considering a deal than they have been to this point in the process.

“Several teams have spoken to the Dallas Cowboys about a potential Micah Parsons’ trade and for the first time the Cowboys appear willing to at least listen, sources tell Todd Archer, Dan Graziano and me,” Schefter reported via X. 

“The Cowboys would like to resolve the situation, one way or another, in the coming days with their season opener next Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles,” Schefter continued. “The Cowboys hold their first full practice in preparation for the Eagles on Friday.”

Browns Could Flip 4 Picks, Including 2 First-Rounders, for Micah Parsons and Still Draft QB No. 1 Overall in 2026

The deal wouldn’t be cheap, but the Browns have amassed 10 draft picks in 2026, including two in the first round, one of which belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars and could end up quite high. Cleveland’s pick is liable to be even higher, possibly No. 1 overall, which the Browns would likely use to draft one of the potential franchise QBs in the 2026 class.

However, if they get that player with their own pick, or if Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders proves a potential longterm answer in 2025, Cleveland could use the Jaguars’ first rounder to build out a package of first-round picks in 2026 and 2027, along with a third-rounder in 2026 and one of the team’s two fifth-rounders in 2026 to acquire Parsons.

Cleveland can easily sell the Jacksonville pick as having top-10 upside. And even if the Browns have a franchise QB under center to start next season, he’s either going to be a rookie or a second-year player on a team with a lot of roster work left to do.

The addition of such a signal-caller, plus the acquisition of Parsons, would certainly pull the Browns out of the NFL cellar. But there would also be reason for the Cowboys to remain optimistic that the 2027 first-rounder in the deal could end up inside the top 10, or at least top 10-adjacent.

Browns Could Solve Several Problems by Pairing Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett on Defensive Line

The Browns just gave Myles Garrett an extension worth $40 million annually on a new contract, which is why trading a haul for Parsons and then likely paying him even more than Garrett would be a huge — and some might even argue redundant — risk.

The counter to that is in an AFC North division with the likes of Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow playing quarterback for two of its three biannual opponents, Cleveland’s defense needs all the help it can get.

Pressuring, nay terrorizing, two of perhaps the four best quarterbacks in the league right now while only rushing four players would allow the Browns to keep more defenders in coverage against Burrow and put a speedy spy on Jackson, who can win games all by himself simply via the use of his legs.

The Browns recently spent a first-rounder and an early second-round pick on defensive tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, respectively, both of whom will start Week 1. If they both pan out, that means two quality players at important positions in the middle of the defense on inexpensive rookie contracts for the next four years.

Given all the draft assets Cleveland has accumulated, the team will get multiple swings at strong players in the mid rounds who can potentially contribute for several seasons on cheap deals. Thus, if the Browns believe in their draft strategies, taking a big-money swing on Parsons and trading a haul for him is a reasonable dual play.

And the silver lining: even if it doesn’t work perfectly, there’s no way it can turn out as badly as when the Browns did the exact same thing to acquire quarterback Deshaun Watson in 2022.