Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has made no secret his love for Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn was in his first season as the defensive coordinator for the Cowboys when Dallas selected Parsons with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
It was Quinn who realized that Parsons would be best employed as an edge defender, and Parsons quickly proved him correct. As a rookie, Parsons finished with 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss, won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and was named first-team All-Pro. In 2022, Parsons was again named first-team All-Pro and was second-team All-Pro in 2023.
After the 2023 season, Quinn departed to become the head coach of one of Dallas’ primary levels. Parsons spoke of his appreciation for Quinn every chance he got.
Well, in case you haven’t heard, Parsons requested a trade from the Cowboys on Friday. He and the team are at odds over a new contract, as Parsons felt Dallas misled him. Owner/GM Jerry Jones has stated he will not trade Parsons, and the goal remains to sign him to a long-term deal.
This weekend, Bleacher Report was in Ashburn for a training camp practice, and, of course, Quinn was asked about Parsons.
“Yeah, I loved coaching him, I really did, and I’ll be connected with him for life,” Quinn said. “He had the versatility to do different things, so he challenged me as a coach. What if we line him up here? What if I put him here? And sometimes I would be like, ‘That didn’t look so good.’ Another time, ‘We got something.’ So he pushed me as a coach to think differently, and it allowed us to be more versatile. I had an absolute blast coaching him.”
Quinn has to be careful in discussing Parsons, but his affinity for his former player is apparent. Parsons revealed last season that he and Quinn still communicate.
What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. Quinn would do anything to acquire Parsons, but do you think that Jerry Jones would trade Parsons to Washington? First, the Cowboys aren’t trading their best player. Secondly, if they did, it would not be to Washington, Philadelphia, or the New York Giants.