The Carolina Panthers were among the teams that explored the possibility of acquiring All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons before he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, but ultimately chose not to submit a formal trade offer, according to a report from ESPN.
As the 2025 NFL season prepares to begin Thursday night with the Dallas Cowboys visiting the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, new details have emerged regarding the teams involved in the trade discussions for Parsons. ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported that Carolina reached out to the Cowboys to inquire about Parsons' availability but opted against advancing beyond initial interest.
“One team that inquired about Parsons' availability but ultimately didn't pursue aggressively was Carolina,” Fowler wrote. “The Panthers made a call but did not formally offer a trade package to Dallas. Carolina would have made sense because the Cowboys were looking for a premier defensive tackle, which Carolina has in Derrick Brown.”
Panthers passed on Micah Parsons deal as Cowboys finalize trade with Packers
Despite the potential fit, the Panthers decided to retain Brown and preserve their future assets. Brown, 27, has emerged as one of the league’s most reliable interior defensive linemen. In the 2023 season, he posted a career-high 103 total tackles, including 57 solo stops, two sacks, one interception, and 16 tackles for loss across all 17 games. However, Brown’s 2024 campaign was cut short due to a torn meniscus suffered in Week 1, limiting him to just one appearance.
Dallas had been seeking defensive line help as part of their trade parameters, making Brown a logical piece in any potential Carolina deal. Nevertheless, the Panthers elected not to engage further and were not among the final suitors when Dallas reached a deal with Green Bay.
The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers then signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract extension, solidifying his role as a long-term anchor on their defensive front. The deal concluded a tense standoff between Parsons and the Cowboys, which began earlier this offseason when Parsons publicly requested a trade amid contract frustrations.
The Panthers will begin their 2025 campaign on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That Week 1 matchup is set for Sunday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. The team enters the season with hopes of competing in a tight NFC South race, while looking to keep Brown healthy and productive after his return from injury.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys will open their season two days earlier in a high-stakes divisional matchup against the Eagles on Thursday night at 7:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The contest will mark Dallas' first game without Parsons in the lineup since drafting him in 2021.
