Cowboys' Micah Parsons requests trade, did Steelers' T.J. Watt play a role?
One of the NFL's best edge rushers has officially requested a trade, as Micah Parsons took to social media to declare his desire to leave the Cowboys amid ongoing contract talks — but one can't help but wonder if Steelers star T.J. Watt inadvertently played a major role in the decision.
After months of failed negotiations with Dallas — and continuous shots from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones — Parsons made the trade request official with a social media post captioned, "Thank you Dallas!" Here is a short excerpt from his message:
"Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract," Parsons wrote on X. "Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years, or anything else. Still, I stayed quiet, but again, after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives, I have made a tough decision. I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally."
While Parsons alluded to other factors in play — like refusing to partake in negotiations without his agent present — the Cowboys star defender hinted at Watt's record-breaking deal and other edge rushers' contracts during training camp.
'When you go around the league, you see these other teams taking care of their best guys," Parsons said a few weeks ago. "I see T.J. got taken care of. Maxx [Crosby] got taken care of. Myles [Garrett] got taken care of, and he's got two years left on his deal. You see a lot of people in our league getting taken care of, and you wish you had that same type of energy."
More from Micah Parsons:'You see these other teams taking care of their best guys. I see TJ (Watt) got taken care of. Maxx (Crosby) got taken care of. Myles (Garrett) got taken care of…I don't take it personally, I just don't understand it.'#DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/QLd6XPkGPu
Despite claims that the trade request didn't stem from financial demands, his camp mentality tells a different story — and the Pittsburgh Steelers deserve more credit for getting Watt extended long-term, even if it meant making him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL with an average annual salary of $41.5 million.
For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
WWE SummerSlam 2025 live results: Match card, start time, what to know for night two
There was already one night of wild action. Who's ready for another one? WWE SummerSlam 2025 will cap off its double-day event on Sunday, Aug. 3, and it's shaping up to be a massive night with heavy consequences on the business. All six matches scheduled will be for championships. Not only is gold on the line the entire night, but plenty of chaos is on deck too. Tables, ladders and chairs will be involved in the highly anticipated six-team tag team match, and the Women's Intercontinental Championship won't have any disqualifications. To end the night, it will be a WrestleMania 41 rematch between John Cena and Cody Rhodes, and it'll be a street fight where anything goes. It's shaping up to be one of the biggest slates of 2025. Follow USA TODAY Sports for all the action for SummerSlam 2025: Watch: SummerSlam 2025 preshow When is SummerSlam 2025? SummerSlam 2025 night two is on Sunday, Aug. 3. SummerSlam start time 2025 SummerSlam starts at 6 p.m. ET. The SummerSlam preshow begins at 3 p.m. ET. Where is SummerSlam 2025? The event takes place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home stadium of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets. How to watch SummerSlam 2025 SummerSlam will stream on Peacock, but you must have their premium or premium-plus subscription to watch. Internationally, it will be available on Netflix in most markets. SummerSlam 2025 will also be available to watch at select Regal Cinemas theaters around the country. Tickets to see WWE SummerSlam in theaters are available on Fandango's website. SummerSlam 2025 preshow: how to watch The SummerSlam preshow will be available to watch on Peacock, and on WWE's social channels, including YouTube. Stream WWE SummerSlam on Peacock SummerSlam 2025 match card night two Matches not in order
USA Today
23 minutes ago
- USA Today
Rashid Shaheed has one-word response to teammate's claim about Saints' fastest player
'I'd bet my game check on it' Rashid Shaheed is one of the fastest players in the NFL, but he might have competition from one of his own teammates. New Orleans Saints running back Velus Jones Jr. is known for his speed -- he timed the 40-yard dash in just 4.31 seconds at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine, and more recently got the better of the entire Saints defense on a surprise third-down draw play. And he wants it known that he isn't just the fastest player in the running backs room. He'll race anybody at Saints training camp. "Fastest one on the team," Jones confirmed to reporters after Sunday's scrimmage. "But you can't coach speed. I feel like I've shown some glimpses of how dangerous I can be, a home run hitter." Jones was drafted by the Chicago Bears to play wide receiver, but he showed more promise as a rusher, and the Jacksonville Jaguars tried him out in that role last year, too. All told he's gained more yards on the ground (165) than through the air (135) in his three-year NFL career so far, clocking an impressive 8.3 yards per carry. And when he says he's the fastest player in the locker room, that includes Rashid Shaheed. When asked if he could outrace Shaheed one-on-one, Jones answered with confidence: "For sure. For sure. Yeah, I'd bet my game check on that." While we don't have a 40 time to compare them with (Shaheed was still recovering from a college knee injury at his pro day and didn't test in the 40-yard dash), Shaheed has routinely ranked among the league's fastest players. He hit 21.13 miles per hour on his 53-yard touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals back in 2022. He reached 20.52 miles per hour on a 47-yard punt return against the Carolina Panthers last season. When he has a runway, he can fly. And Shaheed wasn't fazed by Jones' comments. He shared a one-word response on social media to Jones' claims: "No." If the two line up for a sprint later in camp, they'll draw a lot of eyes.
Miami Herald
23 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
The Dolphins' Patrick Paul has dominated during training camp. Here's why
Patrick Paul loves one-on-ones. You can tell by the way the 6-foot-7-inch, 326-pound tackle smiles wide when asked about the drill. 'One-on-ones was always my favorite thing coming in,' Paul said Saturday. 'It's a way to work your craft in the pass setting and then just a way to compete. So every rep, I'm competing and I can't let any one get past me.' And through the first five days of padded practices, virtually no one has done just that. The second-round tackle has been almost unstoppable during one-on-ones, erasing defenders from Bradley Chubb to Chop Robinson like it's nothing. Paul's growth could be a catalyst to the Dolphins' offensive success. 'If you can stop someone in one-on-ones, you can definitely stop him in team periods,' Paul said. The 2024 second-round pick's development has even earned him praise from coaches, mentors and players alike. 'He's been on a steady confidence climb and it was very helpful getting ingratiated into the NFL game and being able to play behind Terron Armstead – one of the best to do it,' coach Mike McDaniel said Friday, later adding that 'Players on the team, he has earned respect being as intentional and deliberate as any player on the team. You have a gigantic player with an athletic skillset that is attacking what really matters, not, 'Hey, I blocked him,' or 'Hey, I didn't,' but angles of sets, how to keep your balance, how you drive off the ball, landmarks, all of those things, pad level. He's all in to his game and I think people are starting to see that on the practice field and we hope that turns into the game.' 'He's put in the work to become a grown man!!' the recently retired Terron Armstead tweeted Wednesday. 'He will have his growing pains, but we will keep fine tuning his technique! His ceiling is so high!!' Saturday's practice embodied every bit of Armstead's assessment. During one particular team period, Waddle took a screen 30 yards for a touchdown – in large part due to Paul who pulled to left and led the charge down the sideline into the end zone. The only problem? Paul was so eager to go that he committed a false start. 'Honestly it was just fun – getting out in space, working on the timing of it but then once you're out there and the play goes you're just trying to take anything out,' Paul said, slying smiling and putting a finger to his lips when asked if it was his infraction. 'I don't even know. I don't even know.' Despite the penalty, Waddle still praised the second-year tackle. 'It was good,' Waddle said Friday. 'Paul is a great block. He's having a tremendous camp, so any time I've got a big guy like that in front of me it definitely slows down defenders and just getting behind him as a shield, go out there and make a play.' With Armstead's offseason retirement, Paul was always believed to be the five-time Pro Bowler's successor. The 337 or so snaps in relief of Armstead during his rookie season in 2024, however, yielded subpar results. 'There's some things that we thought that he's going to get some really good learned lessons from, growing from good things he did blocking-wise,' Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith said in Oct. 2024 after Paul's first start. 'It's just ultimately when you start off the season and it's not going too well overall for the offense, it's all of us together getting better. And I know he's going to approach it and he's been really diligent with the guys and working hard, and I think overall all of us will continue to grow from this point in the season.' Experience, though, is sometimes the best teacher and it looks like that small sample size has already begun to pay dividends. 'He's been very intentional,' center Aaron Brewer said Sunday. 'Since the season ended last year, I've spent a lot of time with Pat. So our grind, his mentality, his work, doing two-a-days, three-a-days, stuff like that, it's different. Not the average athlete or just person is doing stuff like that, so how he's coming into Year Two, I love where he's at. His mentality, his work ethic, I love it all.' The 23-year-old has certainly showcased that growth during training camp, leaving little doubt about who will hopefully be a mainstay at left tackle for years to come.
