The Dallas Cowboys face a decision on the future of star pass rusher Micah Parsons. The Pro Bowl defender has completed his four-year, $17 million rookie contract.
Parsons is slated to play on a club option with a $24 million salary in 2025 if the star is unable to reach a new deal with Dallas. The price for Parsons is about to rise for the Cowboys as Spotrac projects the pass rusher’s market value to be a three-year, $90 million contract.
Dallas could explore potential blockbuster trade options for Parsons instead of signing the star to a lucrative new deal. 105.3 The Fan’s Bobby Belt put together a list of possible trade proposals that could make some sense for the Cowboys. One of the proposals centers around Cincinnati Bengals four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
“Next trade [proposal], you send Micah Parsons to the Cincinnati Bengals for Trey Hendrickson, their first-round pick (which is 17th overall) and a third rounder next year,” Belt explained in a February 11, 2025, edition of the “Shan & RJ” show. “… You know that for the next three years [Hendrickson will] probably be better than somebody you can draft in the first round.”
Bengals Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson Is Unlikely Enough for the Cowboys to Trade Micah Parsons
Going from Parsons to Hendrickson is far from an upgrade, but it could allow Dallas to spend money on other players. Hendrickson is slated to have an $18.6 million cap hit in 2025 on the final year of his current one-year, $21 million contract.
The Bengals defender is 30 years old and will need a new contract in the 2026 offseason. Dallas also gets two high draft picks as part of the deal, but it likely would not be enough for the Cowboys to part ways with one of the top players in the league.
Cowboys Rumors: Dallas Has Had ‘Internal Discussions’ About Trading Micah Parsons
All this comes as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that the Cowboys have had “internal discussions” about the possibility of trading Parsons. It is worth noting that these discussions does not mean striking a deal for Parsons is likely.
“Normally open with his opinions, the Cowboys’ 25-year-old superstar hasn’t said much of anything about the team’s promotion of Brian Schottenheimer after a surprise parting of ways with head coach Mike McCarthy — a move Parsons called ‘devastating,’” Pelissero and Rapoport detailed in a February 9, story titled, “Examining futures of Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, Raiders’ Maxx Crosby, other pass rushers in potentially wild 2025 offseason.”
“While there have been no trade talks, sources say there have at least been some internal discussions about whether to pay Parsons or trade him for a king’s ransom. If the Cowboys are willing to listen, they may get it.”
Hendrickson is an All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler. The pass rusher has posted back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks.
Yet, Parsons is just 25 years old, and the smart money is on the Cowboys paying a premium to retain the pass rusher. Dallas followed a similar model by signing CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott to contract extensions in 2024.