Superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons has officially requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons released a post on social media detailing his frustration with the team and going behind his agent's back to try to get him to sign an extension. Now sportsbooks are already talking about which team could land the All-Pro pass rusher... and the Pittsburgh Steelers should throw their hat in the ring.
Even with Parsons' trade request and all, the talented defenders seem likely to eventually ink an extension with Dallas. We saw a similar 'trade request' situation play out with Myles Garrett earlier in the offseason, and Garrett ultimately used this as leverage to get the deal he desired from the Cleveland Browns.
But, if Parsons were to legitimately be on the table, the Steelers should be on the phone.
Trading for Parsons won't come cheap. This would be about as pricey a move as it gets for any non-quarterback. However, Parsons is a transcendent player who hasn't even reached the prime of his career. And for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, they could throw everything but the kitchen sink at the Cowboys to acquire the superstar.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could offer the Dallas Cowboys a king's ransom in a Micah Parsons trade
Let's start with the elephant in the room: the salary cap legistics. After recently making T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history with the three-year, $123 million contract extension, the Pittsburgh Steelers would have a hard time making the finances work to acquire a player like Micah Parsons. But it's not impossible.
The Steelers can restructure contracts and backload Parsons' contract in this hypothetical trade-and-sign deal with the Cowboys. Sure, Pittsburgh would be strapped for cash, but it's not every day you get to trade for a young player who's already building a Hall of Fame-level resume.
Now let's talk trade compensation. In the off chance the Cowboys were willing to pull the trigger on a Parsons trade, they would be asking for a king's ransom in return. Some whispers suggest this includes as many as a pair of first-round picks (and possibly more).
The Steelers, meanwhile, may not be willing to part with this much draft capital with a projected need to find a franchise quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. But they still have plenty of assets in their corner.
Pittsburgh is currently on pace to have a dozen draft picks in 2026, including three third-rounders, two fourths, and two fifths. This, collectively, is chump change and doesn't move the needle much. However, if they package these selections with a future first-rounder and a high-quality player, that may be enough to catch Stephen Jones's ear.
Offering the Cowboys a substantial trade package of a first-round pick, edge rusher Alex Highsmith, and a collection of future Day 2 draft choices may be enough to have conversations heat up. By throwing Highsmith into the deal, the Cowboys would be getting a talented edge rusher who can help replace Parsons and who is already under contract.
Trading Highsmith would instantly save the Steelers an additional $13 million toward the salary cap in 2025, per Over The Cap—money that can be thrown back into a Micah Parsons extension.
While Steelers fans have zero complaints about the edge rusher trio of T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig, can you imagine a duo of Watt and Parsons? This could be one of the strongest EDGE pairings ever assembled.
Parsons' mere presence on the football field could take the Steelers from a borderline top-five defense to the best defensive unit in the league—giving them a legitimate shot to compete in the postseason.
This hypothetical trade is highly unlikely, and it would take a lot of moving parts to make this work. At the end of the day, the Dallas Cowboys should hold onto Micah Parsons, even amid his trade request. Still, the Pittsburgh Steelers have already pulled off unlikely blockbuster trades for DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey this offseason. Never say never.