On Friday the Seattle Seahawks sent a message to the NFL that they are ready for the regular season, after a dominating win over Kansas City. Could the impressive showings the past two weeks make Seattle more interested in the drama down in Dallas?
As we are just a few weeks away from the start of the NFL season, superstar Micah Parsons and owner Jerry Jones have still not found common ground on an extension to keep Parsons a Dallas Cowboy. The standoff has been awkward at best, and messy looking
most of the time.
Now, will Micah actually get traded? I’d put it at 20% at best. You simply just don’t see players of Parsons caliber get to this point, and actually get traded. As we have learned this summer, trade requests are usually just a negotiation tactic, but this does feel a bit closer to what Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson is going through, than what Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt went through. We really haven’t seen a player of his caliber get their wish since Khalil Mack was traded from the Raiders to the Bears six years ago.
If this does become a situation where Parsons and the Cowboys are truly at an impasse, could John Schneider and Mike Macdonald actually pull off a potential trade and land an extension? Should they?
Why the Seattle Seahawks may be interested
Micah Parsons is a stud. In four seasons, all Parsons has done is win Defensive Rookie of the Year, be voted to the Pro Bowl all four seasons and named All-Pro twice. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up has a whopping 177 QB pressures in 63 career games, and has averaged over 13 sacks a season. Before last year’s injury-riddled season for himself and the Cowboys, his defense had been ranked 7th, 5th, and 5th overall in points allowed. They also won two division titles, made the playoffs three years in a row, and won 12 games for three straight seasons. It is clear, with this guy on your roster, you’re going to have a Super Bowl caliber defense and will be a team that is hosting playoff games in January.
Obviously a player such as Parsons would be a fit on all 32 teams, but Seattle may have a strong case as his best possible destination in a trade. While everyone will bring up the relationship between Micah and his former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, I think we can all agree that Dallas is not trading its best player to its NFC East rival Commanders. What people may not know is the relationship between Parsons and Seahawks DC Aden Durde.
Durde was Micah’s defensive line coach throughout his Cowboys career, before coming to Seattle last season. Parsons has spoken glowingly about Aden and credits much of his success to him. So now you have the familiarity, but imagine pairing Parsons with Mike Macdonald? You could have something special.
Why Seattle may be hesitant
I don’t think the player should scare the Seahawks away, but it should be noted that Parsons missed four games due to injury last year, but his age doesn’t scream that a cliff is coming anytime soon.
The biggest obstacle for Seattle may just be the price tag for acquiring Parsons, both in trade costs and assets. There are 31 other teams that would be more than willing to acquire such a special player. Despite him being in the final year of his deal, I think the price for Parsons may be two first round picks.
Let’s say you are able to match that price, now you have to convince Micah to sign an extension. TJ Watt and Myles Garrett all hit the bank this summer, sitting in that $40 and $41 million/year range. Is John Schneider and Seahawks ownership prepared to pay Parsons $42 million a year for five years? It’s a fair question with uncertainty at the ownership level.
One other interesting fact to point out, of the top ten highest paid defensive players heading into the 2025 season, only Danielle Hunter, Nick Bosa and Chris Jones have made it to a Conference Championship, and Bosa and Jones are the only Super Bowl participants. It is far from a guarantee that Parsons in Seattle means playing for conference championships and Super Bowls, which should be the end goal.
Verdict
If you were to ask me this question a week or so ago, I would have told you no. I thought the price to get Parsons would be astronomical, especially with a strong draft class coming up, and the price to keep him in Seattle was too risky. After watching the Seahawks play the past two weeks, and looking at the state of the NFC West, I can now see the vision more clearly.
While the Seahawks defense with Micah could easily become the best unit in the league, I wondered if the offense could even remotely keep up. Now that we have seen what Klint Kubiak is cooking up, this physical style of ground-and-pound offense matched with an elite defense is a recipe for massive success.
I believe that between Sam Darnold and Jalen Milroe, the Seahawks have some form of a franchise quarterback on their roster, so the draft capital lost will not sting as much. Most importantly, Seattle may be in the right division to make a run with Parsons over the next few seasons.
Arizona continues to look lost, the 49ers continue to be destroyed by injuries, and this Matt Stafford back situation in Los Angeles could derail a Super Bowl or bust season for the Rams. If Seattle can capitalize on this potentially weakened division, home playoffs could return to Seattle this season. And while the defending champions do reside in your conference, we’ve seen this Eagles franchise go through let down seasons after great previous years, and the NFC is far weaker overall to the AFC.
The price will sting, the contract will be heavy, but the shock and awe of seeing Micah Parsons in Seattle feels worth it enough as a fan. Seattle would once again have a “face of the league” type of player on their roster again. On the field, you’re putting together a team that should feel like they can go four quarters against the likes of Philadelphia and Detroit.
If Seattle was able to bring Parsons to the Pacific Northwest, I think that a Super Bowl appearance would soon follow.
Verdict: pay the ultimate price, buy
