The trade rumors are loud in Green Bay as the 2025 regular season approaches. Between John Kuhn's tweet simply stating his name, Kay Adams dropping a cryptic post on social media, or anyone else with a credential feeding the beast, many Packers fans are at the point of waiting for the notification that finally tells them Micah Parsons is a Packer.
It certainly could happen. Packers fans certainly want it to happen.
But league trends should caution Packers fans not to get their hopes up too high. You don't have to look far to have seen this scenario play out several times just this offseason.
League trends suggest Packers' Micah Parsons hopes face familiar roadblocks
The most prominent example was Myles Garrett, who was so fed up with the Cleveland Browns' direction that he asked for a trade publicly, notes app tweet and all. Every publication made the same post, wondering if one of the top pass rushers could be dealt and where to. But no, Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension with Cleveland.
Then, there's Terry McLaurin. He didn't really want out of Washington; he just wanted a new contract. Still, the trade rumors swirled for months until he finally signed his three-year extension worth up to $96 million.
Then there was Trey Hendrickson. It wasn't too long ago that a trade seemed all but imminent, and maybe even to Green Bay. But no, he signed a reworked contract that gave him a $14 million raise this season. He'll likely be a free agent next offseason instead.
Trade rumors in the NFL are almost never reliable. After all, that X post you definitely saw from the account with a semi-prophetic dog avatar was awfully similar to a since-deleted Reddit post. That account has been right a few times, but not every time.
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That's not to say Parsons won't be a Packer by September 7, or even by the trade deadline on November 5. It is to say that recent league trends among star players demanding trades have not led to trades, but instead extensions and new contracts with their current teams.
Sometimes the excitement of a potential league-altering trade such as this one can obscure the fact that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys don't want to trade Parsons. All Jones has to do is concede and offer the money Parsons and his agent want, and he'll be a Cowboy for the next five years.
Of course, Parsons' situation has a personal flair that the others lacked. If the Packers truly have a deal in place, and it's one the Cowboys can’t refuse, he'll be headed to Green Bay. If Dallas backs out, but Parsons refuses to play ball, literally and financially, Dallas may have to return to the bargaining table with Green Bay down the road.
Still, this story plays out in the NFL all the time. Demanding a trade is a bargaining chip players use when they have game-changing leverage, and more often than not, it leads to a contract extension.
Parsons' situation being what it is, Packers fans are free to have their hopes up. Just don't be surprised if that eventual Parsons-related notification isn't for a trade to Green Bay, but instead confirmation that he'll continue his stellar career in Dallas.