Micah Parsons in midnight green? According to the man himself, it nearly happened.
Before the Dallas Cowboys dealt their star pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2025 season, Parsons says he was on the verge of landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. And if not for one key sticking point, the NFC East might’ve had a whole new dynamic.
“To be honest with you, bro, it was very close. It was very close to being the Eagles,” Parsons revealed on a recent episode of his podcast. “Before the Jaelen Phillips [trade], it was me.”
The Phillips deal ultimately brought the former Dolphins edge rusher to Philly, but Parsons claims he was the original target. And while the idea of pairing Parsons with the Eagles’ already loaded defensive front would’ve sent shockwaves through the league, there was one major problem: the trade would’ve cost the Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
That, according to Parsons, was a dealbreaker.
“Yeah, it was me and I was really about to come, but there was one person that I had to play with that if he was gone I did not want to be there, and that was Jalen Carter,” Parsons said.
“They wanted a defensive tackle. And they wanted to trade me plus some picks.
I don't really care about the picks, but I'm coming to play next to J.C., you feel me? … So, sorry, Cowboys fans.
It really almost happened.”
Let’s unpack that for a second.
Parsons wasn’t just dropping a juicy “what if” - he was laying out a scenario where one of the league’s most disruptive defenders could’ve joined forces with one of the most dominant young interior linemen in the game. That tandem - Parsons flying off the edge and Carter collapsing the pocket from the middle - would’ve been a nightmare for offensive coordinators from Week 1.
But it also speaks volumes about Parsons’ mindset. This wasn’t just about landing on a contender or making a splash.
It was about fit. Chemistry.
Playing next to someone he respects and believes in. For a player of his caliber to draw a line in the sand over a teammate he hasn’t even played with yet?
That says something about how highly he regards Carter.
And for Eagles fans, it’s a fascinating glimpse into how close their team was to adding another elite piece to an already formidable defense. As for Cowboys fans - well, losing Parsons was tough enough.
But sending him to a bitter division rival? That would’ve been a gut punch of a different kind.
Instead, Parsons heads north to Green Bay, where he’ll anchor a rising Packers defense and try to write the next chapter of his career in the NFC North. But this near-miss with Philly? It’s the kind of alternate reality that will have fans - and maybe a few front offices - wondering what could’ve been.