The Dallas Cowboys have been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL this season, in part due to significant injuries suffered by Micah Parsons and Dak Prescott. With NFL rumors swirling amid a lost season about Shedeur Sanders and Deion Sanders coming to Dallas in 2025, one other big storyline is Parsons’ future.

Selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Parsons has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL since he entered the league. The 25-year-old has earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections and made either second-team All-Pro (2023) or first-team All-Pro (2021-’22) every year.

• Micah Parsons career stats (ESPN): 43,5 sacks, 31.5 stuffs, 9 pass deflections, 8 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries in 55 games played

However, Dallas is in the midst of one of its worst seasons in decades with massive changes looming in 2025. While Mike McCarthy and the rest of the Cowboys coaching staff will be first to go, some have speculated about the futures of Prescott and Parsons in Dallas.

Prescott is all but guaranteed to return next season and beyond. Just months removed from signing a contract extension that made him one of the highest-paid NFL players ever, the Cowboys would be left with $104 million in dead money if they traded Prescott.

Parsons is slightly more realistic. The Cowboys have already committed more than $120 million in cap space to Prescott and CeeDee Lamb each year through 2027. Meanwhile, their All-Pro edge rusher is in a contract year next season and his new deal will go for at least $35 million annually. However, acquiring him would be just as costly for another team.

Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson shared on Friday’s episode of the Inside Coverage podcast that if the Cowboys were even to entertain trade offers for Parsons this summer, the minimum price would likely start at three first-round picks.

“Brian Burns drew an offer of two first-round picks, plus. You can’t tell me that Brian Burns being worth two first-round picks to any NFL team, does not make Micah Parsons worth at a bare minimum three first-round picks.”

Yahoo Sports’ NFL reporter Charles Robinson on the potential trade value of Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons

• Micah Parsons contract (Spotrac): $5.434 million cap hit in 2024, $21.324 million cap hit in 2025

As ESPN‘s Adam Schefter reported in November 2022, the Los Angeles Rams offered the Carolina Panthers two first-round picks and a second-round pick in exchange for edge rusher Brian Burns. Burns was in his fourth NFL season and coming off his first Pro Bowl selection but still didn’t have a season with double-digit sacks.

Compare that to Parsons, who recorded three consecutive seasons with 13-plus sacks to begin his NFL career. He’s a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate and widely recognized as one of the best players in football.

The widespread expectation around the league remains that the Cowboys front office will sign Parsons to a contract extension, though negotiations may drag deep into next summer. However, if Dallas decides to pivot and trade Parsons then it could net one of the largest trade packages in NFL history.