Micah Parsons Reportedly 'Never Threatened to Hold Out' Despite Cowboys' Warning

While the relationship between Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys deteriorated before he was traded to the Green Bay Packers last week, Parsons reportedly wasn't looking to drag this situation into the 2025 season.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Don Van Natta Jr., even after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sent a warning to Parsons that he would be forced to play the 2025 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract without receiving an extension, "a source close to him notes that Parsons never threatened to hold out and if healthy, he would have played on the option."

Fowler and Van Natta explained that two days before Parsons was traded to the Cowboys, his representatives sent an email to the Cowboys as a last-ditch effort to remain in Dallas.

The letter from Parsons' agent David Mulugheta to Jerry and Stephen Jones reportedly "acknowledged that a lot of things had been said in the media, perhaps some miscommunications along the way, but despite all of that, Parsons was still willing to do a deal that would keep him in Dallas." Mulugheta added that members of Parsons' camp "were willing to come to Dallas, jump on a video call, whatever it took to potentially hammer something out."

Despite Parsons' side still willing to negotiate, Jerry Jones responded to the email with the warning that the team was prepping a trade and he wouldn't receive a contract extension. If Parsons played the 2025 season on his fifth-year option, he would've became a free agent in 2026, but the Cowboys would've been able to use the franchise tag to prevent his exit.

After the contentious back-and-forth, the Packers received permission from the Cowboys to speak to Mulugheta and negotiate a contract for Parsons. Green Bay agreed to send two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas to acquire the star edge rusher. Once the deal was completed, Parsons was signed to a four-year, $188 million contract extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

While losing Parsons creates a major hole in Dallas' defense, the deal was still viewed favorably within the Cowboys organization.

"From our perspective, it had to include Kenny Clark," a source close to Jones told Fowler and Van Natta. "The only way it worked for us, we need something that helps us now and helps us in the future."

Only time will tell if Jones and the Cowboys are better off without Parsons, but for now, many are still questioning if Dallas made the right decision to ship away one of the best defensive players in the league.