Cowboys named in wild 3-team trade proposal unloading All-Pro defender to Falcons

The Dallas Cowboys are working on a new contract for star linebacker Micah Parsons, but the clock is ticking with a potential training camp holdout coming.
Parsons has earned the right to sit out of training camp in order to get the contract that he wants, but he also desires to be one of the highest-paid players in the NFL as a linebacker, which is a position that doesn't always get paid top dollar.
That's why ESPN insider Bill Barnwell suggests a three-team trade that would send Parsons to the Atlanta Falcons while the Cowboys get the No. 15 pick and the No. 2 pick from the Cleveland Browns for No. 12, No. 149, a 2026 fourth-round pick from Dallas and a 2026 first-round pick from the Falcons.
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"The Cowboys have to figure out how to win with three players making more than $135 million per season, which is where they'll be if they sign Parsons.," Barnwell wrote.
"That's without considering the $20 million salary they just gave to Osa Odighizuwa and Trevon Diggs' five-year, $97 million contract. If they couldn't make a deep playoff run with Parsons and Lamb on rookie deals and Prescott making $40 million a year, how are they going to do it with all three making top-of-the-market salaries?
In this hypothetical trade, not only would the Cowboys save a lot of potential money, but they would also be able to draft an immediate replacement for Parsons in fellow Penn State alum Abdul Carter with that No. 2 overall pick.
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"There could be a chance for them to acquire the next Parsons on a rookie deal. It's incredibly unrealistic to project Abdul Carter to turn into Parsons, but the former off-ball linebacker's production exploded after being shifted to pass rusher," Barnwell writes.
"He racked up 12 sacks and a nation-high 24 tackles for loss in 2024. And crucially, while Parsons will be making more than $41 million per season over the next few seasons, Carter will make $41 million over the next four seasons combined if he's drafted at No. 2."
This is a trade that would absolutely never happen on Jerry Jones' watch, but it solves some issues that the Cowboys have, and if they felt that Carter would be able to become a leader and fill Parsons' shoes immediately, it might be a deal that benefits Dallas the most in the long run.
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