Eagles made 'strong play' for Micah Parsons, but Cowboys refused trade with NFC East rival, per report

The Eagles host the Cowboys Thursday; an already intense rivalry would have had even more juice with a Parsons trade

The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their Super Bowl title defense on Thursday night when they host the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL season opener. While that rivalry doesn't require any added juice, the Eagles apparently tried to give it some more this summer anyway by making a "strong play" for Micah Parsons once the Cowboys began entertaining trade offers, according to Adam Schefter. 

Obviously, nothing came of it, and for good reason. Owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys weren't willing to send Parsons to their NFC East rival, understanding that as unpopular as trading Parsons to the Packers was with the fan base, it would have been ten times worse to send him to the Eagles. 

The Eagles won a Super Bowl after trading for Saquon Barkley from the Giants, and they couldn't help but try to add another former Penn State star from a divisional rival. It didn't work this time, but you can't blame them for trying to bring the Harrisburg native home. Parsons and Barkley would've teamed up again and made for two of the most popular players on the Eagles. 

Instead, Parsons is now in Green Bay, and the Cowboys and Eagles will face off on Thursday night without the additional subplot of Parsons seeking revenge on his former team. That reprieve for the Cowboys will only last until Week 4 when they take on Parsons and the Packers at home in Dallas, and Thursday's opener will be plenty fascinating to watch even without an added layer of Parsons drama.