‘This is a sad day’ – Micah Parsons sends a message that confirms suspicion about how bad things got with Cowboys before trade
The Cowboys and Micah Parsons are exchanging a few more jabs going into the NFL season.
UPDATE: After the publishing of this opinion article, the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Athletes First announced. Parsons will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL with a $47 million per year deal worth a total of $188 million.
In return for Parsons, the Cowboys get two first-round draft picks and DT Kenny Clark.
It happened. It will take days to fully digest it, but the Dallas Cowboys are trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, who are making the superstar defensive end the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
In return for Parsons, the Cowboys are getting two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Following the deal, Parsons sent a heartfelt message to Cowboys Nation on X, formerly known as Twitter. The message confirms how bad things got between the front office and Parsons, as he insists the problem with Dallas was Jerry Jones’ attempt to leave agent David Mulugheta out of negotiations.
“I never asked for anything more than fairness,” Parsons wrote. “I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be a part of the process.”
It was the relationship and trust aspect of it more than it was the financial details. You can read Parsons’ full statement below.
“This is a sad day, but not a bitter one,” Parsons added. Thank you, Cowboys Nation, for every cheer, every moment, and every ounce of love you showed me. Wearing the Star has been the honor of my life.”
Before the trade happened, we had the following opinion about reports on a potential Parsons trade:
Latest report around potential Micah Parsons trade is the Dallas Cowboys’ way of calling star defender’s recent bluff
As Dr. Strange says to Tony Stark in The Avengers: “We’re in the endgame now.”
I’m talking about the long and winding road that has been the Cowboys and Micah Parsons’ saga this offseason. And you know what happens in an endgame? The sides pull off their best moves. The latest one in this saga is an ESPN report revealing the Cowboys “appear willing to at least listen” to trade offers for the superstar defender.
“No trade is imminent, but another team always could be aggressive enough to make it come together quickly, per sources,” reads ESPN’s report led by insiders Todd Archer, Adam Schefter, and Dan Graziano. “The Cowboys would like to resolve the situation, one way or another, in the coming days.”
The Cowboys’ public stance has been they don’t plan to trade Parsons despite the contract feud. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer — who will speak to the media on Friday in a regularly scheduled press conference — has maintained that he expects Parsons to play Week 1 versus the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Cowboys are calling Parsons’ bluff
It isn’t a coincidence that the news comes following Friday’s report of Micah Parsons traveling out of Dallas-Fort Worth’s airport in search of a second opinion for his back injury. The Cowboys claimed Parsons’ recent MRI came back “pretty clean.” At the time, it felt like near confirmation Parsons would play; otherwise, he’d lose large amounts of money. But seeking a second opinion that determines he’s injured could change that.
Parsons has claimed to have a back injury since early in training camp, which many believe to be a way to avoid practice without going as far as holding out and being fined as a result. If Parsons is seeking a second opinion after an initial positive one, it might be because he’s trying not to play while also not missing paychecks worth over $1 million yet.
The report on the Cowboys’ potentially listening to trade offers for the first time certainly looks like the front office’s way of calling Parsons’ bluff. “Threatened” by the possibility of him not playing without a new deal, Dallas appears to be trying to send a message of listening to trade offers.
This has become a chess match between both sides. With a game scheduled for next Thursday, things are heating up.
What lies ahead for Micah Parsons?
Honestly, it’s impossible to know how this movie ends. But there are several scenarios that are very plausible:
- Parsons and the Cowboys agree to a long-term extension. It looks like it’s too late for that, but it also looked like it when the team signed Dak Prescott to a $240 million deal last year. Let’s see if the sides can come together and beat the buzzer before long.
- Parsons isn’t extended but still plays. This would set the table for a repeat of contentious negotiations in 2026 and would potentially lead to a franchise tag for another tense offseason.
- Parsons isn’t extended and misses regular season games. This would be a terrible scenario for all parties involved and not at all a good thing. But if the Cowboys DE wants to take things that far, he could. Maybe it speeds up a deal. Maybe not.
- A trade. I really struggle to believe this is a realistic scenario because the Cowboys would essentially be giving up on the 2025 season, just one year after extending Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb to huge contracts. Not to mention, the draft capital they get would be usable eight months from now. It simply doesn’t add up. But you never know when relationships go sour.
For now, all Cowboys fans can do is wait. Friday will be a huge day since the team is set to practice ahead of the regular season. Will Parsons take the field? That will say a lot about where things stand.