The Dallas Cowboys wouldn’t seriously consider trading star pass rusher Micah Parsons, right? Executive vice president Stephen Jones made that sound highly unlikely in a recent NFL Network story about potential offseason changes for Dallas.
“We love Micah,” Jones said in the story. “I can’t imagine there’s a scenario where he’s not wearing a star on his helmet.”
But on Sunday, the NFL Network discussed that story with the following headline: “Cowboys haven’t ruled out trading LB Micah Parsons as contract talks loom.”
Could the Cowboys look to trade Micah Parsons? @RapSheet has the latest. pic.twitter.com/A3yWF88WDN
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 15, 2024
This led to a reporter asking Parsons after Sunday’s game about the report that the Cowboys haven’t ruled out trading him in the offseason.
“I understand how that business side goes,” Parsons said. “There are no hard feelings in this business, whether I’m here or anywhere else. Obviously I’ve stated that I want to be here. But at the end of the day, I understand the business side. “I’ve put in a lot of work, I’ve played hard too, so obviously if sides can’t agree to those type of things, it happens like that. But I’m just happy to be here. I’m just gonna keep playing hard while I’m here. If I’m here for the next five to six years, I’m gonna keep playing hard then too. Ain’t nothing really gonna make a difference, Micah is gonna play hard.”
Parsons’ next deal is expected to make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. The Cowboys have known that for a while. It’s part of the reason they didn’t do much during this past offseason, to have the future salary-cap space to get deals done with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Parsons. We’ll believe Jerry Jones will allow a star player to walk in the prime of his career when we see it. So, we’ll put the chances of Parsons being traded at less than 5 percent.
More thoughts on Parsons trade talk and immediate reaction to Sunday’s game in Charlotte on the latest episode of the “One Star Cowboys Podcast.”
More from the game
• Saad wrote about the defense continuing to make progress to the point that it led the way in the win against Carolina. The Cowboys collected four takeaways and sacked Bryce Young six times — all in the second half.
• Despite all the injuries (on both sides of the ball), the one constant has been Lamb. His 116-yard game Sunday put him over 1,000 receiving yards for the fourth consecutive season.
Aubrey’s shot at the record
After a Cooper Rush fumble led to a long touchdown for the Carolina Panthers late in the second quarter, only 31 seconds remained until halftime. The Cowboys could have taken a knee a few times and accepted a 10-7 lead at the break, with the Panthers getting the ball again to start the third quarter.
But the Cowboys have Brandon Aubrey, one of the best kickers in the NFL. So, instead of merely accepting a three-point lead, they tried to gain enough yards to give Aubrey a try. A Rush run got the Cowboys to their own 48-yard line, where Aubrey took the field to attempt a 70-yard field goal.
Aubrey has been a prolific kicker, both in accuracy and distance. The NFL record is 66 yards, which Aubrey nailed in the preseason. He hit a 65-yarder this season in the comfortable confines of AT&T Stadium, as well as a 60-yarder in New Jersey.
But this was a chance at history.
The line drive kick got past the rush unharmed but it was plenty wide to the left and didn’t have the distance. Before the game, Aubrey said he didn’t try a kick longer than 58 yards. He didn’t have an exact idea of what his maximum line was for the outdoor stadium in the cold Carolina temperatures but estimated it to be around 62 or 63 yards.
“Not ideal conditions for (70-yarder) on the day,” Aubrey said. “But it’s exciting to have a staff that, even in conditions like that, they want to see the record broken. They believe in me and my ability to do it.”
Brandon Aubrey and the #DallasCowboys really tried this FG attempt from 70 yards out! 🤯
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/DorUHW6Ach
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 15, 2024
The miss didn’t do much harm. The Panthers brought it out of the end zone but the return didn’t have a chance to do much damage with the clock already expired and good coverage by the Cowboys’ kicking team. Aubrey himself rebounded and hit two more field goals for a total of three on the afternoon from distances of 52, 45 and 41 yards, respectively.
As for the record, Aubrey was appreciative for the opportunity and said he hopes to get another crack at it in different conditions.
“Hopefully they trust me enough to give me an opportunity later down the road, maybe at AT&T (Stadium) or slightly better conditions,” Aubrey said. “But it’s fun. … I’d hate to be on the side where I want to go out and they’re not sending me out there. Thankful for the confidence and the opportunity.”
Where’s Mingo?
Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo’s season began with him as a Panther but he became a Cowboy after Dallas traded away a fourth-round pick for him at this year’s trade deadline. Mingo has been a non-factor this season, racking up 11 targets in four games with the Cowboys prior to Sunday. He has two catches for 10 yards in the five games with Dallas.
On Sunday, he was the only Cowboys receiver to not get a target. The five other receivers all got at least one target, with four of them notching at least one catch and three catching a touchdown pass. Running back Ezekiel Elliott and tight ends Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford also had at least one catch in the game.
There won’t be a verdict on the Mingo trade this season. He was acquired midway through a season in which the Cowboys were a hot mess and already had lost Prescott. The 2023 second-round pick still has two more years on his rookie deal and the Cowboys expect him to be involved in the equation moving forward.
Still, the early returns haven’t been encouraging on a player who wasn’t exactly thriving even before his move to Dallas.
(Top photo of Micah Parsons: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)
