Micah Parsons traded to Packers: Cowboys ship out All-Pro defender, who signs record contract with Green Bay

Micah Parsons has been traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers. In conjunction with the trade, the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher has already reportedly agreed to a four-year, $188 million deal with Green Bay that includes $120 million guaranteed. In exchange for Parsons, the Cowboys are receiving two-first round picks -- one in 2026 and another in 2027 -- and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

"I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control," Parsons said in a statement. 

Parsons requested a trade out of Dallas on Aug. 1 as contract negotiations with the Cowboys, particularly owner and general manager Jerry Jones, became contentious. The deal with the Packers will make Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, ahead of fellow pass rushers T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and receiver Ja'Marr Chase. 

"My heart has always been here, and it still is," Parsons said. "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. This is a sad day, but not a bitter one. I'll never forget the joy of draft night, the adrenaline of running out of the tunnel, or the brotherhood I shared with my teammates, coaches, and the staff who prepared me for every single game. Those memories are mine forever." 

Micah Parsons trade: Former Cowboys star issues statement to fans following trade to Packers

Jordan Dajani

Thursday was the cumulation of a contract saga that lasted over a year, starting when the Cowboys picked up Parsons' fifth-year option last spring. While that is common practice for teams and first-round picks, it ultimately foreshadowed what was to come between Parsons and the franchise that selected him No. 12 overall in 2021 and saw him develop into a two-time All Pro. 

At the time, Parsons said he had no issue remaining patient and continuing to play under his rookie deal in 2024. This offseason, however, Parsons was hoping to receive a new contract that would be comparable to what the league's other premier pass rushers had received. That number skyrocketed after both Garrett and Watt signed extensions with their respective clubs that included annual salaries of $40 million and $41 million, respectively. 

"Clearly, things got personal," a front office member for an AFC team told CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. 

Outside of money, one of the main things that prevented Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from getting a deal done was Jones' perceived "handshake agreement" with Parsons that allegedly took place when the two met in March. While Jones thought that an agreement had been reached between the two, Parsons clearly didn't view things that way. 

Adding to the disconnect was Jones' refusal to communicate with Parsons' representatives. That, coupled with a stalemate regarding continued contract talks, ultimately led to Parsons staging a hold-in this summer before formally requesting a trade. 

With the outside noise reaching a frenzied pitch, and after weeks of seeing his disgruntled linebacker showing up to Cowboys practice in either street clothes or his practice jersey, Jones ultimately decided that enough was enough. By trading Parsons, Jones has made history by pulling off one of the most shocking trades in franchise history since Jimmy Johnson traded Herschel Walker to the Vikings in 1989, a deal that ultimately set the table for the Cowboys' dynasty during the 1990s. 

And in a somewhat ironic twist, the Cowboys traded Parsons to the team they faced the last time they appeared in an NFC title game -- way back in 1995. 

Micah Parsons trade grades: Packers get this generation's Reggie White; Cowboys' franchise set back for years

Jeff Kerr

Regarding the Packers, the acquisition of Parsons is Green Bay's biggest offseason acquisition since the team acquired Reggie White in 1993, a signing that signaled the beginning of the NFL's free agency era. Three years after signing him, White had three sacks in helping lead the Packers to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots, the franchise's first championship in 29 years.  

Adding even more irony to this deal is the fact that it involves Ed Policy, the Packers new president and CEO whose father, Carmen Policy, was the 49ers' president and CEO when San Francisco traded future Hall of Fame pass rusher Charles Haley to the Cowboys ahead of the 1992 season. Dallas then proceeded to defeat San Francisco in the next two NFC title games before the 49ers extracted a measure of revenge in the 1994 title game. 

While the Cowboys are losing Parsons, the Packers are acquiring one of the NFL's top defensive players who is still very much in his prime. Parsons has made the Pro Bowl each of his first four seasons. During that span, he collected 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, nine forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. 

Parsons is joining a Packers team that is coming off of consecutive playoff seasons. Green Bay stunned Parsons' Cowboys in the 2023 wild card round before falling last year to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in the first round of the NFC playoffs. 

Green Bay is once again expected to be a contender this season, especially now with Parsons in the fold. Notably, Parsons' return to Dallas will come on Sunday, Sept. 28 when the Packers and Cowboys square off on Sunday Night Football.

Cowboys nearly flunk trade grades

The return for Parsons is subpar, and so is trading him out of the organization. This should have never come to fruition, and it is all the fault of owner Jerry Jones. Also doubling as the Cowboys general manager, Jones decided to go into a standoff with Parsons rather than handle his contract situation long before the trade request came into fruition.

Jones thought Parsons would be like Dak prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and CeeDee Lamb -- and get the record-breaking deal done before the season. Parsons was good to his word on the trade request, knowing negotiations with Dallas were at the point of no return. 

 Jones paid an over-30-year-old Dak Prescott over Micah Parsons, making Prescott the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL (and he still is). How does a record-setting deal like that not get done with Parsons, who hasn't even begun to sniff his prime yet? Parsons is the true difference maker on that side of the ball and one of the five best players in football. That's a player any franchise should never allow to leave the building, and the Cowboys did just that. -- Jeff Kerr

What you should know about the player Dallas got back

Clark was drafted 27th overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Green Bay, and after spending much of his rookie season as a reserve in the defensive line rotation, he has been the anchor of the interior of the Packers defensive line for the past eight years. Clark is a three-time Pro Bowler, starting 126 games for the Packers since 2016, with 417 tackles and 35 sacks in his career from his defensive tackle position. The veteran tackle is just two years removed from one of the best seasons of his career, as he had 7.5 sacks, 44 total tackles and two forced fumbles in 2023, earning him his most recent Pro Bowl selection.

Clark will immediately provide an upgrade to the interior of the Cowboys defensive line, but he is not nearly the same kind of impact defender as Parsons. Dallas' current depth chart features Mazi Smith and Osa Odighizuwa as the starting defensive tackles, but Clark will likely bump Smith back into a rotation spot and join his fellow former UCLA Bruin, Odighizuwa, as the starting tackles.