Cardinals Should Be All-In on Micah Parsons Trade

This offseason’s trade market is stockpiled with former All-Pro talent including Myles Garrett and Deebo Samuel.

A long-speculated trade candidate could be available as well in Dallas Cowboys star pass rusher Micah Parsons, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport:

The Cowboys have had some internal discussions about whether to pay or trade Micah Parsons, per @RapSheet pic.twitter.com/liRoZuQXZm
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) February 9, 2025

As we’ve talked about for Garrett previously, all 31 other teams should be calling Dallas for his potential trade cost.

And yes, the Arizona Cardinals should be among those calling.

Parsons has quickly become one the premier defenders in the league and is arguably one of the ten best players in the NFL across any position on either side of the ball. The former 12th overall pick has generated 52.5 sacks in just four seasons.

His “worst season” was this past year where he “only” had 12 sacks in 13 games.

Safe to say that the Penn State product is elite – which still doesn’t begin to truly describe how great he is.

We all know by now how badly the Cardinals need a pass rusher, so I won’t waste my breath going over that again. What I will say is that Parsons is still a baby in the grand scheme of things; he’s turning 26-years-old in late May.

Given his age and his elite production since day one, his value is going to be through the roof as you’ll see in a moment.

I want you to remember this before you rush to the comments to call me insane – Parsons is doing historic things with the Cowboys right now… not just for their storied franchise but in the 100+ years of history in professional football. If you want to bring him in, you better be ready to pay an quite the price to get him.

You could argue that a trade for Parsons would be one of the biggest in sports history both in terms of his return value but also the fact that he’s trending towards all-time status.

Alright, let’s get this over with. This is compensation for the superstar…

Potential trade offer:

2025 first round pick (16th overall)
2026 first round pick
2026 third round pick
2027 second round pick

Call it excessive or remind yourself that Parsons will turn just 26-years-old at the end of May. Also, keep in mind that in four seasons Parsons has two First-Team All-Pros, one Second-Team All-Pro, four consecutive Pro Bowl seasons, and the Defensive Rookie of the Year award on his resume.

Yeah, he won’t be cheap. Honestly, he may be one of the most expensive trades in the history of the NFL – literally and figuratively (more on that soon).

Parsons has a serious claim as the league’s best edge rushers today and one of the best in the last ten years. He’s putting up historic numbers on the box score. He’s at a legendary pace to start his career.

Simply put, Parsons is proving to be a generation talent.

So, yeah, the price to pay is insane – but are you willing to part with four premier picks in the next three drafts to get a player who’s playing as well as any of the greats in their primes?

And if you are…

Be ready to extend him immediately as part of the deal…

One of the reasons, if not the biggest reasons that Parsons is involved in trade talks despite his insane career trajectory is the financial part of it all. The Cowboys have a lot of money allocated throughout the roster and holding onto Parsons at the price he has earned won’t be easy.

There’s been talks that the All-Pro is willing to take a discount to stay in Dallas, but there’s been previous reports that he wants to break the market.

Whatever side is true, the one thing we know is the Cowboys will do everything they can to make sure he stays a Cowboy for life.

But in an instance where it doesn’t work out, the team who acquires his services needs to immediately, and I mean from the moment he is traded, sign him to a fat, historic contract.

Nick Bosa currently controls the market with his average salary per year at a whopping $34 million. Negotiations for Parsons begin at $35 million, and I’ll tell you it should cost more than that.

Bosa is a former Defensive Player of the Year winner with tons of accolades to his name. That award is the lone achievement that Parsons doesn’t have, but he has stayed far more consistent with minimal injury concerns that Bosa.

That ploy should earn him a fatter deal.

With a growing salary cap and a Cardinals team that is rich in cap space, I’d expect Parsons to reset the market and convincingly do so. I’m sure I see higher than $40 million, but I’d expect anywhere between $36-37 million annually.