The Dallas Cowboys shocked the NFL world on Thursday afternoon when they finally decided to trade two-time All Pro Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
The Cowboys and former Penn State star had been in disagreement on the terms of a contract extension all offseason and it culminated to the Cowboys finally pulling the plug on a trade of their defensive star.
The Cowboys sent Parsons to the Packers for two first round picks, and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. With the trade, the Packers signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million rookie extension.
What Was the Tipping Point for Dallas and Parsons?
Following the blockbuster trade, Parsons' brother took to X, formerly known as twitter, and revealed his thoughts on how Parsons' contact situation unfolded.
"This isn’t even what Micah wanted is the sickening part of all this he just wanted respect in the negotiation process and [Cowboys owner] Jerry [Jones] wouldn’t give it," Terrence Parsons Jr. wrote on X. "Sad year for Dallas Micah and Luka [Doncic]."
It's no secret that as the Parsons saga in Dallas grew further along, there were more emotions involved. Parsons brother also posted later in the day about how egos played a role in the situation.
The Cowboys:
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) August 28, 2025
- dragged CeeDee Lamb to the eleventh hour
- dragged Dak Prescott (the second time around) to the eleventh hour and change
- literally traded away Micah Parsons
The front office has put on a masterclass effort at proving how to be the worst ever at this in a year.
"Just remember Micah being traded wasnt about money it was about ego that led to this lol," Terrance Parsons wrote. "Jerry was willing to give Micah whatever he wanted aslong as it was him and Micah negotiating that’s what led to this. Insanity who gets the last laugh.?"
Parsons revealed in his initial trade request there was some truth to this. The Cowboys' star linebacker met with Jones in March to discuss leadership and the conversation turned to contract negotiations.
Parsons engaged in the talks with Jones, but let the Cowboys' owner know that his agent would reach out to further the contract talks and get thing completed.
"But when my agent reached out and spoke to [ESPN’s] Adam [Schefter] he was told the deal was pretty much already done," Parson said (h/t New York Post). "My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again the team decided to go silent."
I spoke with Micah Parsons this evening. He says “genuinely gonna miss ya’ll”
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) August 28, 2025
He says he and his team went back to the Cowboys about an extension with “empathy” when the trade interest was leaked this week.
The Cowboys response according to Parsons was “play on the 5th year…
Following the trade, Parsons issued a statement on social media to Cowboys' fans. The Cowboys' star linebacker explained his situation, and thanked the fans for their love and support.
"I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control," Parsons wrote. "My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process."
Who knows if there would have been a different outcome if Parsons' agent was more involved in the contract talks, but the lack of communications with Parsons' representative was clearly a tipping point.
In Jones' press conference following the trade, he reiterated that the trade decision about was more than just getting something in return for a disgruntled player.
"This will go down as one of the worst trades in the history of [the Dallas Cowboys] organization."@danorlovsky7 shares his thoughts on the Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Packers 👀 pic.twitter.com/yp4kHfomez
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 29, 2025
"Without being too broad, obviously, we did think it was in the best interest of our organization. Not only the future but right now this season, as well," Jones said. "We gained a Pro Bowl player in an area we had big concerns in on the inside of our defense."
Whether you agree with Jones' take on the trade, or you believe him, or not, the Cowboys owner believes he made the right decision. As for Cowboys' fans, they're calling for the owners' job.
The Cowboys' season kicks off in six days when the team opens the NFL season against the Philadelphia Eagles.