The Philadelphia Eagles are on track to win their second straight NFC East title, and it’s clear the team isn’t satisfied. Howie Roseman and company are always looking for a way to improve what’s already the best roster in the NFL. Philly’s rival, the Dallas Cowboys, are bothered by that because they can’t keep up. However, the Cowboys aren’t just bothered, they’re doing whatever they can to make life harder for the Eagles.
On Sunday, before the slate of Week 10 games kicked off, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Micah Parsons trade that sent the edge defender from Dallas to the Green Bay Packers has a special clause that prevents Parsons from ending up with Philadelphia in the coming years. The clause, referred to as a “poison pill, says Green Bay can’t trade Parsons to an NFC East team in the next two years, or the Packers would have to send Dallas their 2028 first-round pick.
ESPN Sources: Micah Parsons’ trade to the Packers included a poison pill that the Cowboys inserted to block a deal in the near future to the Eagles. pic.twitter.com/S4mjfM7CpQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 9, 2025
Cowboys create trade clause to prevent Micah Parsons from being traded to Eagles
While this “poison pill” applies to all NFC East teams, Schefter emphasized that it was created with Philadelphia in mind. The Eagles tried to acquire Parsons directly from Dallas this offseason, and since the star defender is from Pennsylvania, there was always a thought that he could one day end up in an Eagles uniform. That could still happen before Parsons retires, but it won’t be happening in the next two years. The Packers also returned the favor and put the same clause in place for Kenny Clark and NFC North teams.
While it’s understandable why the Cowboys wouldn’t want Parsons in the division, the creation of this “poison pill” is proof that Dallas is always thinking about Philadelphia. For starters, knowing what Green Bay had to give up for the defender, it’s clear the team won’t be moving on from him anytime soon. Additionally, if something did go wrong and the Packers wanted to trade Parsons, the Cowboys shouldn’t really have a say since they already move on.
Ultimately, this is just Dallas doing whatever it can to try and close the gap between the Cowboys and the Eagles. However, it’s not enough. Philadelphia will be just fine without Parsons.