Micah Parsons asks Dallas Cowboys to trade him: ‘Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here’

Jerry Jones never met a Dallas Cowboys player contract negotiation he couldn’t turn into a three-ring circus.

26-year-old four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Micah Parsons has had enough, and he announced Friday on social media that he wants the franchise he has played for since 2021 to trade him.

“I have made a tough decision,” Parsons wrote in a statement on X, “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally.”

Earlier on Friday, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Jon Machota reported that Parsons and the Cowboys were far apart as they entered the second week of training camp and that negotiations on a new contract had stalled.

Thank you Dallas 🦁👑 🙏🏾! I pic.twitter.com/EUnEj9uRUt

— Micah Parsons (@MicahhParsons11) August 1, 2025

“I no longer want to be held to close door negotiations without my agent present,” Parsons said in his statement. “I no longer want shots taken at me for getting injured while laying it on the line for the organization, our fans and my teammates. I no longer want narratives created and spread to the media about me.”

According to The Athletic, Parsons and owner Jerry Jones spoke multiple times during the spring. Jones and the Cowboys took those conversations to be negotiations that culminated in a deal. However, Parsons believed they were simply conversations and that his agent would be the one to handle negotiations. When Parsons’ agent attempted to do so, the team declined to speak with him and told Parsons they were under the impression they already had a deal in place.

Parsons is currently in the final year of his rookie contract. He is attending Cowboys preseason practices but not participating in on-field work.

Earlier this week, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith suggested Parsons sit out the season to prove how much leverage he has.

According to Russini, the Cowboys have no intentions of trading their star defensive player, but teams are expected to reach out.

The 2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and two-time first-team All-Pro is considered one of the best defensive players in the league and is likely to see upwards of $40 million per year on his next deal. T.J. Watt just signed a three-year, $123 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers that is said to set the tone for what kind of money Parsons wants.

“We’re just working with what it is,” Jones told reporters on July 21. “It’s not uncommon for me, and not anything there’s a lot of angst over. He’s doing a real good job of being here. And that’s important. … We are where we are. And I sign the check. Period.”

Parsons’s statement is his first public comments on negotiations since July 22, when he said “I want to be here. At the end of the day, they sign the checks. Let’s see if they want me to be here. I’ve been pretty consistent. If they don’t want me here, I’ll go about my business. I understand the nature of the business. As long as I’m here and under contract, I’m going to do what I have to do to perform at the highest level. But if this is the end, then this is the end.”