The Dallas Cowboys are a little over two weeks away from making the trip north to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL season opener and a big question still lingers about whether defensive end Micah Parsons will be on the field in his home state of Pennsylvania on Thursday, Sept. 4.
While it may be a question to many, it does not appear to be on for head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“I think at the end of the day,” Schottenheimer said. “We feel like Micah’s going to be out there when we line up against Philadelphia.”
On Aug. 1, Parsons requested a trade from the Cowboys after negotiations for a contract extension stalled. The four-time Pro Bowler is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is in line to receive a deal that could contend for the richest for a defensive player in NFL history.
When asked if Schottenheimer felt he’d be on the field with or without a contract in hand, he stuck with his original answer.
“I feel good that Micah’s going to be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles,” he said.
During the team’s training camp, Parsons was in attendance but did not practice with the team. When asked why, he cited “back tightness” and even received treatment for it while in Southern California. He hasn’t spoken to the media since July 24 when he expressed doubt in a deal getting done. A little over a week later, he submitted the trade request to team executive vice president Stephen Jones.
Sources on both sides of the situation have said that there have been no negotiations since the trade request, although the Cowboys have no plans of trading their 2021 first-round draft pick. The Cowboys control Parsons’ fate for at least the next three seasons, as they can apply a franchise tag in 2026 and 2027 to keep him with the team for a one-year deal that would cost the average of the top five players’ annual value at his position.