Micah Parsons joins Philadelphia Eagles? Jalen Carter vs. Dallas Cowboys? Parsons said it almost happened.
While recording his podcast live in San Francisco, the All-Pro linebacker revealed to Eagles receiver AJ Brown that they were almost teammates last season.
“So, honestly, man, it was very close,” Parsons said of Brown and Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. “Pretty close. The Eagles before Jaelan Phillips, before all of them, it was me. I was really close.”
“But there’s one guy I have to play with that if he’s gone, I don’t want to be there, and that’s Jaylen Carter,” he added. “They wanted a D-tackle. They wanted to trade me and some draft picks. I don’t really care about draft picks, but I’m going to play next to JC, you feel me? Yeah. Sorry Cowboys fans, that really almost happened. I feel like the trajectory is going to change.”
The full podcast can be seen here. Parsons’ comments about the Eagles begin at 6:15.
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Parsons’ story did prove to be true. The Eagles were reportedly actively pursuing the edge rusher before the Cowboys traded him to the Green Bay Packers in August. Parsons, who grew up near Philadelphia and played college football at Penn State, hopes to one day play for the Eagles. But not without playing alongside Carter, one of the team’s best players.
Yet Dallas is unlikely to trade its defensive star to an NFC East rival. The Cowboys also want to ensure the Packers don’t somehow flip him to Philadelphia (although that seems unlikely) by including a clause in the deal. According to ESPN, a condition of the deal is that Green Bay must trade its 2028 first-round pick to Dallas if Parsons is traded to an NFC East team before the end of the 2026 NFL season.
The Cowboys showed they are hungry for defensive tackle by acquiring Kenny Clark from the Packers in exchange for Parsons and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Dallas further attempted to bolster its interior defensive line by acquiring Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets before the trade deadline.
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What Parsons mentioned may force Eagles fans and Cowboys fans to “what if” dreams.
With Parsons on defense, can Philadelphia win its second straight Super Bowl title? (The Eagles’ total defense ranks 13th among NFL teams.) Can he make a difference in the Eagles’ 23-19 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers? Philadelphia ended up trading edge rusher Jaylan Phillips before the deadline.
The three-time All-Pro suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during a Week 15 loss to the Denver Broncos. In his first season with the Packers, he had 12.5 sacks, 27 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and 41 tackles for loss in 14 games.
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As Parsons admitted, the Cowboys would benefit greatly from having Carter on board. Carter was named to the Pro Bowl after finishing with 33 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and seven passes defended. Maybe he could have helped Dallas make the playoffs instead of going 7-9-1 and missing out.
