The final weeks of Micah Parsons as a Dallas Cowboy were as painful to watch as a slow-motion train wreck. And just as impossible to look away from.
In what has become known as the ‘Jerry Jones Way’, the Cowboys dragged their feet on what should have been a slam-dunk contract extension.
They’d done the same with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in previous years.
Usually, they’d cave at the last minute, burning up millions in cap space along the way. For whatever reason, despite no other NFL team operating this way, this was SOP at Jones Inc.
Until it no longer was.
A Line In The Sand
Maybe because they’d painted themselves into a corner, or possibly because a severe strain of chutzpah stuck The Star, Jones decided to play hardball with Parsons and his agent.
We won’t rehash the accusations and counter-accusations here.
Each side ended up pointing the finger at the other. But as the soap opera played out it had become very clear.
Parsons days in Dallas were numbered.
One week before Dallas was to open the season in Philadelphia, Parsons was shipped off to Green Bay.
The Cowboys got defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks back in return. The way Green Bay looks, those picks are likely to fall between 25–32 in both the 2026 and 2027 drafts.
The way the Cowboys are looking so far after the trade, they should have back-to-back picks in the first eight.
A Four-Year Reign
Drafted out of Penn State, Parsons was the Defensive Rookie of the Year and runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.
He missed four games in 2024, but started every other game the Cowboys played between 2021-2024. He was a Pro Bowler all four seasons.
He compiled 52.5 sacks in his 63 games for Dallas, finishing in double-digits in that category all four years.
He added 256 tackles, 63 for a loss, and 112 quarterback hits.
While Parsons did not have an interception, he did defend nine passes. He also recovered four fumbles, including one for a touchdown in 2022.
Owing to the double teams he drew, and the strange refusal of officials to call the opponents for holding, his playoff numbers were not so good.
In four games, he had just one sack and 18 tackles with four hits on opposing quarterbacks.
A Slow Start
In three games with the Packers, Parsons has started the last two games. He has five tackles, one for a loss, and six quarterback hits.
He currently has 1.5 sacks.
The Cowboys team he no longer plays for has just three for the year as a team.
Parsons is going to be very motivated when he arrives at AT&T on Sunday afternoon. The Lion will also be licking his chops.
He’ll line up against Terrence Steele or Tyler Guyton, perhaps even both.
Both of the Cowboys’ tackles are going to need help to keep him off of Dak Prescott.
Something To Prove
Shortly after the trade, Jones put on a full-court media press to seemingly diminish Parsons’ time in Dallas.
For whatever reason, many fans happily drank Jones’ latest Fool-Aid flavor and started echoing the sentiment.
There is no doubt Parsons is well aware of all of that and will show up at AT&T Stadium very motivated. And when a lion is hungry, he eats.
Parsons has had three games with 2.5 sacks for his career high. Do not be surprised to see him go all out to get at least three on Sunday.
And Jones Inc. will have no one to blame for it but one old man’s ego.
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