This trade will linger for a long time.
Not long before the 2025 NFL season kicked off, the Dallas Cowboys traded superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Contract negotiations had gone wrong. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was fed up. A deal was struck.
And now it'll impact the next generation of football in Dallas and Green Bay.
A trade winner won't be crowned for a decade. But that doesn't mean it isn't a monumental deal in the here and now.
Micah Parsons trade details
The Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers agreed to their Micah Parsons trade on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025.
The details:
- Packers get: EDGE Micah Parsons
- Cowboys get: DT Kenny Clark, 2026 1st-round pick, 2027 1st-round pick.
Both of those first-rounders were the Packers' original picks, so they'll slot in based on Green Bay's record in each preceding season.
The Packers signed Parsons to a record-setting four-year, $188 million contract after the trade, setting a new mark for money given to a non-quarterback.
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Why did the Cowboys trade Micah Parsons?
The Cowboys traded Micah Parsons in the midst of contentious contract negotiations and a trade request.
The 2025 season was slated to be the final season of Parsons' contract in Dallas, so a deal needed to be struck if the superstar was to stay with the Cowboys.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones has said he approached Parsons in the spring with a deal, but no agent was present, and Parsons has said he didn't know any negotiations would be taking place.
The reported value of that offer was $40.5 million per year (Parsons ended up with $47 million per year from the Packers).
Parsons made his official trade request on social media on Aug. 1, writing a long message that included the statement, "I no longer want to be here."
Jones called that a negotiating ploy, but in the end, Jones made the call to trade Parsons away.
It's not bad to get back two first-round picks and a solid run stuffer in Clark. But Clark is 30, and the picks might fall in the back half of the first round given that the Packers are good.
The Cowboys clearly decided in the end they needed a fresh start.
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Why did the Packers trade for Micah Parsons?
It's a lot simpler on the Green Bay side.
The Packers saw a chance to trade for one of the best players in football, and they took it.
Parsons has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons. In all four, he has had at least 12 sacks.
He starred at Penn State and hit the ground running immediately for the Cowboys, too.
Green Bay already had one star pass rusher in Rashan Gary. Now the Packers have two.
In the ultra-competitive NFC North, getting Parsons is a huge step toward contending for the division title and maybe more.
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