The Dallas Cowboys have traded All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers just one week before the 2025 season. In return, Dallas receives defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027. Parsons immediately agreed to a four-year, $188 million extension with Green Bay, including $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history at $47 million per year.
The move has drawn fierce criticism from around the league, including from NFC executives.
One NFC executive texted NFL insider Jordan Schultz, “The Cowboys make no fuc*ing sense.”
Another high-profile executive texted Schultz, “Why on earth would you do this now and not in March? Beyond idiotic.”
For Dallas, the decision closes the door on what had once looked like a decade-long partnership with one of the most dominant defenders of his generation. Drafted 12th overall in 2021, Parsons immediately became the star of the Cowboys' defense.
In four seasons, he recorded 52.5 sacks in 63 games, 256 tackles, 112 quarterback hits, nine forced fumbles, nine passes defensed, and four fumble recoveries. He joined Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players in NFL history to post at least 12 sacks in each of their first four seasons. Parsons was also the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year, a two-time All-Pro, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year finalist, and a four-time Pro Bowler.
In the end, Micah Parsons’ on-field brilliance wasn’t enough to prevent his contract talks with Jerry Jones from hitting a wall. Parsons demanded a trade on August 1, citing stalled contract talks. Jones insisted Dallas could control him for three more seasons via his rookie deal and franchise tags, but tensions escalated when Jones bypassed agent David Mulugheta during negotiations. Parsons attended training camp in a “hold-in,” sitting out of practices while claiming back tightness, though multiple MRIs came back clean.
The Cowboys ultimately chose a Herschel Walker–style reset, reminiscent of the 1989 blockbuster deal that launched their dynasty. Jones reportedly believed the draft capital outweighed holding on to Parsons, but the timing left analysts baffled. The Cowboys had ranked first in defensive EPA per play with Parsons on the field since 2021, but dead last when he was off.
The trade also leaves a glaring hole in the Cowboys’ pass rush. Their current edge group, consisting of Dante Fowler Jr., Marshawn Kneeland, Sam Williams, Donovan Ezeiruaku, and James Houston, has combined for 73 career sacks, barely surpassing Parsons’ individual total. In comparison, Green Bay hasn’t had a double-digit sack season from any player since Za’Darius Smith in 2020. Last year, Rashan Gary led the team with just 7.5 sacks.
Parsons now joins a Packers defense that finished 20th in quarterback pressure rate (32.3%) in 2024, and his arrival instantly improves their front seven. His return to Dallas is already set, September 28, 2025, on Sunday Night Football.
