The Dallas Cowboys stunned the NFL world last night by agreeing to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. And a lot of people seem to agree that the Packers got the better end of the deal.
Advertisement
It’s true that sending two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas might look good on paper. But securing a 26-year-old All-Pro edge rusher in his prime is the type of move that shifts Super Bowl odds.
Moreover, from Parsons’ lens, he didn’t just land a team that’s in a much better position to win. He also signed a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
As expected, things look bright for the Packers and Parsons, but not so much for the Cowboys.
For starters, they shipped away their best player just a week before opening the season against their arch-rivals and reigning Super Bowl champions, the Eagles. Secondly, instead of locking down a generational talent, owner Jerry Jones gave it to a conference rival while justifying his decision to do so.
Although the NFL community is still shocked by the Cowboys’ decision-making, the Packers have made it almost routine to defeat Jerry Jones’ team at their own expense.
Jones’ side and Micah Parsons’ new team have clashed 39 times, with the Packers holding a 22–17 overall edge. In fact, the Packers haven’t lost to the Cowboys since 2016, running off five straight wins.
The story is the same in the postseason as well, as the Packers lead 5–4, with the ledger highlighted by some of the league’s most iconic moments.
From Bart Starr’s quarterback sneak in the frigid “Ice Bowl” of 1967 to Aaron Rodgers silencing AT&T Stadium in the 2016 Divisional Round, Green Bay has consistently delivered heartbreak for Dallas fans.
It was only in the 1990s, when the Cowboys dominated the NFC alongside the 49ers, that America’s Team had the better of their rivals, a rare exception to a contest otherwise tilted toward Titletown.
So with the latest Micah Parsons trade, the Packers’ cycle of winning over the Cowboys continues. By sending Parsons — a player with 52.5 career sacks and four Pro Bowls in as many seasons — to the Packers, Jones may have just extended the misery of his team.
Instead of watching him wreck opposing offenses in a star helmet, Cowboys fans will see him line up against Dak Prescott in green and gold. And that’s exactly what might happen in Week 4, when the Packers travel to Dallas for Sunday Night Football.
Already one of the league’s marquee matchups, the trade has transformed it into a can’t-miss game of the 2025 regular season. Many would have tuned in anyway, but Parsons’ return to AT&T Stadium, against the owner who wouldn’t pay him and the franchise he once anchored, adds layers of tension.
