Before the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, there apparently was a scenario where he could have ended up playing for another team in the NFC East.

On the latest episode of The Edge with Micah Parsons show (starts at 6:30 mark), the three-time All-Pro revealed he was “almost” traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and “it was very close” to happening before the deal with the Packers came together.

It’s unclear exactly what “almost” means in the context of trade talks. There is certainly a scenario in which the Eagles had talks with Parsons’ representatives about what a contract extension might look like if they were to work out a trade, but the latter part always seemed like it would be a huge obstacle given the historical rivalry with Dallas.

The Eagles were among the teams that tried to engage in discussions, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported in September that the Cowboys had “no interest” in sending Parsons to a division rival.

Another factor is that even after Parsons was dealt to the Packers, the Cowboys included a “poison pill” clause in the deal that stipulated if Green Bay were to trade Parsons to a team in the NFC East that it would have to send an additional first-round pick in 2028 to Dallas.

The Cowboys acquired Green Bay’s first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 as part of the original terms of the trade.

All of this is to show how far out of their way the Cowboys went to keep Parsons out of the NFC East in general and away from the Eagles specifically.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit from Parsons’ comments is the indication that Dallas would have required Jalen Carter to be included if a deal with the Eagles were to happen.

Parsons doesn’t directly say what the Cowboys were asking for, but his feeling was Carter “had to be” on the Eagles for him to go to Philadelphia.

“(The Cowboys) wanted a D tackle,” Parsons said. “And they wanted to trade me plus some picks. I mean, I don’t really care about the picks, but I’m coming to play next to J.C.”

In the deal with Green Bay, the Cowboys got defensive tackle Kenny Clark in addition to the draft capital.

Carter was coming off a breakout 2024 season in which he recorded 16 quarterback hits, 4.5 sacks and was named to the All-Pro second team. The 24-year-old also had three years remaining on his rookie contract, including the fifth-year option, after last year.

Things worked out okay for Parsons, who got a four-year, $188 million extension from the Packers after the trade. He recorded 12.5 sacks in 14 games with Green Bay before his season ended in Week 15 due to a torn ACL.