Micah Parsons Trade Reportedly Eyed by 3 Other Teams If Cowboys-Packers Talks Failed

Before Micah Parsons was officially traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers last week, there were reportedly a few other teams ready to swoop in and land the star edge rusher if negotiations failed.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Don Van Natta Jr. reported, "Had the deal fallen apart, at least three other teams were interested, and the Cowboys would not have traded Parsons within the division."

The offseason saga between Parsons and the Cowboys turned ugly while he held out for a new contract and cited back tightness as his reason for not participating in practice during training camp or playing during the preseason. While Parsons is one of the premiere defensive players in the NFL, there reportedly were varying degrees of interest when Dallas made him available for a trade.

Fowler and Van Natta noted that one team said "it wasn't interested because it felt the price was too high for a player who might turn out to be a headache." Another team reportedly "believed Dallas wouldn't trade Parsons until next spring and indicated they might be interested then."

The Packers eventually sent two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to the Cowboys to acquire Parsons, which was viewed as a substandard trade package for a player of his caliber. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones defended the trade as a deal that "gives us a chance to be a better team than we've been in recent years."

Green Bay immediately signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract extension that included $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Fowler and Van Natta reported that negotiations between Parsons' camp and the Packers were "smooth," and "hammering out an agreement took some time but was not painful."

After winning the Parsons sweepstakes, the Packers are expected to leap into title contention this year. Green Bay will get started on chasing a spot in the Super Bowl when it opens the 2025 season on Sunday against the Detroit Lions.