The Philadelphia Eagles are defending Super Bowl champs, and the Dallas Cowboys — after superstar Micah Parsons requested a trade — are a complete and utter mess. Both statements are true for the exact opposite reason.
Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman and the Eagles take care of their star players. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys do not. That much is clear after the Parsons situation unfolded.
“I have made a tough decision,” Parsons wrote in a lengthy social media post on Friday. “I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”
Parsons’ trade request comes after contentious contract negotiations. The former Penn State star and Harrisburg native is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is seeking a new deal that would reportedly make him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL.
Parsons is worth every penny. He has been a Pro Bowl selection every year since being drafted No. 12 overall by the Cowboys in 2021. He finished second or third in the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2021, 2022 and 2023. He’s a three-time All-Pro pick who has racked up 52 1/2 sacks and nine forced fumbles. He’s a force to be reckoned with.
Parsons’ record-breaking deal would see him make more than Steelers star T.J. Watt, who inked a contract extension this offseason with an average annual value of $41 million. Parsons is 26 years old, four years younger than Watt, and projects as a Hall of Fame-caliber player.
The Cowboys aren’t treating him as such.
Parsons expressed frustration that his agent was not allowed to be present during closed-door negotiations with the Cowboys. He expressed frustration that Jones appeared to take a shot at him for missing games last season. And he expressed frustration that he was met with “radio silence” after the 2024 season when trying to spark contract negotiations. And that’s after Parsons’ agent reached out to the Cowboys last offseason to try to secure a new deal.
Parsons might still end up landing his desired deal with the Cowboys. The last player of his stature to request a trade was Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year signed a massive extension a month after his request.
But Garrett’s request came in February. We’re in August. The Cowboys’ season opener against the Eagles is a month away, and they might not have Parsons at Lincoln Financial Field — on the night, by the way, that Philadelphia will raise its Super Bowl LIX banner.
None of this should be a surprise. This is what the Cowboys do. Ceedee Lamb staged a holdout before securing a new contract. Ezekiel Elliott and Zack Martin did the same. Dak Prescott didn’t sign his recent extension until hours before last September’s season opener.
The Cowboys are sloppy. Jones and his son, Stephen Jones, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, are sloppy. And they’re not alone. Look at what’s happening elsewhere in the division. Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has racked up 1,000 yards each of the last five years, just requested a trade after contract talks stalled.
This kind of public embarrassment doesn’t happen in Philadelphia. Lurie, Roseman and Co. run a tight ship. They run a competent organization.
One of the biggest reasons why the Eagles won the Super Bowl last year was their work locking down their best players. Jalen Hurts has had his contract extended. A.J. Brown has been extended twice since being traded from the Titans in 2022. Lane Johnson has signed two extensions in the last three years. After signing as a free agent and helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl, Saquon Barkley was rewarded with an extension this offseason.
DeVonta Smith is the most pertinent example of the Eagles taking care of their players. Smith was selected two picks before Parsons in the 2021 draft. Last offseason, Smith signed a three-year, $75 million extension. Roseman acted quickly to lock down Smith, a young, integral piece to their puzzle. Meanwhile, the player drafted two spots after him is in a public feud with his team.
“I wanted to be here,” Parsons wrote. “I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. ... Unfortunately, I no longer want to be here.”
That’s the difference between the Eagles and Cowboys. Philadelphia’s stars want to be there because Lurie and Roseman act swiftly and wisely to pay their players what they’re worth.
Jerry Jones? He prefers to make himself the main attraction of a media circus.
