Cowboys Rejected Blockbuster Trade Offer With Rival for $186 Million Star
More details are emerging about the weeks leading up to the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. As fans would expect, the Packers were not the only team interested in striking a blockbuster deal for Parsons.
The Philadelphia Eagles pushed to land Parsons, but the Cowboys had no interest in moving the star pass rusher to a rival inside 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 detailed in a September 4, 2025, message on X.
“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…”
All the latest details about the Cowboys squashing the Eagles’ push to acquire Parsons.
The Eagles Offered Cowboys a Haul in a Potential Micah Parsons Trade
According to @JayGlazer, the Cowboys were looking to trade Parsons before he officially requested a trade, and they received a large offer from division-rival Eagles 👀
Also, Jay shares an offseason workout program he shared with Aaron Rodgers 🥊 pic.twitter.com/a1WSvCPXI5
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 7, 2025
A strong argument can be made that the Eagles’ offer was more enticing than the deal that landed the Cowboys two first-round picks and Kenny Clark. Not as enticing is facing Parsons two times every NFL season as a division rival as the Eagles stand in the Cowboys’ way in attempting to win the NFC East.
Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that the Cowboys’ initial goal was to trade Parsons to an AFC team. The NFL insider also revealed new details on the Eagles’ offer to the Cowboys.
“Micah Parsons asked for a trade about a week or so into the camp, but what nobody knows is that Dallas actually made the decision to trade him (and) about a week or so before that started putting feelers out,” Glazer detailed on “FOX NFL Sunday” on September 7. “What they were hoping to do was trade him to an AFC team.
“I think they were shocked they could not get any traction anywhere from an AFC team. The team actually threw in the biggest offer is the Philadelphia Eagles for 2-1s, a three, a five (two first-round picks, a third rounder and a fifth-round selection) amongst other things,” Glazer continued.
“Obviously didn’t want to trade him in the division, but the Green Bay Packers, they chimed in early, they kept with it, and Kenny Clark is what made the difference for Dallas.”
Packers Star Micah Parsons Labeled the Offseason With the Cowboys as ‘Super Toxic’
Micah Parsons: “These last six months was super draining, super toxic for everyone. It's something that I don't think no player should have to go through … The fact that I was traded a week before the season was really outrageous and rough. It's something where I could've been… pic.twitter.com/TQn0dEg33o
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 8, 2025
The Cowboys clearly valued getting a veteran in return for Parsons instead of simply stockpiling picks. Acquiring Clark proved to be a major factor in Dallas’ decision to make a deal with the Packers.
Parsons ended up signing a new four-year, $186 million contract with Green Bay. The pass rusher labeled this offseason in Dallas as “super toxic.”
“These last six months was super draining, super toxic for everyone,” Parsons said on September 7, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. “It’s something that I don’t think no player should have to go through.
“… The fact that I was traded a week before the season was really outrageous and rough. It’s something where I could’ve been with these guys getting better and better and we could’ve had probably (an) even more dominant start.”
Deebo Samuel’s Kickoff Return Role Sparks Debate: Is It Worth the Risk for Commanders?
It didn't take long for the Washington Commanders to have the whole Deebo Samuel experience. The sixth-year wide receiver caught seven passes for 77 yards and carried the ball one time for 19 yards and a touchdown in Washington's Week 1 win over the New York Giants.
Samuel also served as the Commanders' primary kickoff returner. Samuel averaged 25 yards in his two returns on Sunday.
Considering Samuel's style of play, injury history, and the need to preserve him, should he be returning kicks? When Washington coach Dan Quinn met with the media on Monday, he was asked if he's worried Samuel will get hurt, considering some of the collisions on kick returns.
"I try not, I wouldn't put him in if I felt like that would be the case because I do know it's some game-breaking plays, but if we can be the best at that, then I think that's a really big opt to do it," Quinn said. "It's definitely different than it was just two years ago. They're closer, it's different. It's a more effective way, I think, with the kick and the kick returns. We're still learning it and growing, but I do feel like he's the type of person that can be a game breaker at it."
Quinn is correct. When the NFL changed the kickoff rules before the 2024 season, it was done with player safety in mind. The new kickoff features fewer high-speed collisions because the kicking team can't build up speed as quickly as before. Therefore, we saw several teams put more high-profile players in at kick returner last season. The Commanders did it with veteran running back Austin Ekeler. While Ekeler was successful in the role, he also suffered a concussion returning a kickoff.
Quinn isn't the first coach to have Samuel return kicks. The 49ers had Samuel returning kicks last season after the rules were changed. Samuel's run-after-catch ability makes him an ideal candidate to return kicks. With San Francisco last season, Samuel returned 17 kickoffs for 533 yards.
Samuel has only played a full season once. However, he has only missed two games in each of the past two seasons. Samuel is often beaten up because of his style of play, which makes the argument of not using him on kick returns a valid one.
Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden probably wouldn't use Samuel on kickoff returns.
"Yeah, that's a tough one for me," Gruden told "Grant & Danny" of 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C., on Monday. "I don't know if I'd put him back there; however, I don't know what the alternative is. I don't know if the new rookie running back can do it, I don't know who else could do it........I would err on the side of not putting him back there if I had somebody else that was almost as good. I would put him back there and let Deebo save his energy for offense."
Before you get mad at Gruden, he understands the situation the Commanders are in. Who else can do it effectively? Quinn and Gruden make good points. There is risk and reward involved here. It took only one game for Samuel to make himself an indispensable option for quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Neither opinion is wrong, but so much will come down to Samuel's health. Considering he also impacts the running game, the Commanders may eventually choose to err on the side of caution
