Micah Parsons vs. Cowboys: Ranking high-profile revenge games this decade, including Tom Brady vs. Pats

We all did the same thing after the stunning trade that shipped Micah Parsons out of Dallas to Green Bay, right? Once we gathered ourselves, splashed some water on our faces, and picked our jaws up off the floor, we immediately scanned the 2025 regular-season schedule to see if/when the Cowboys and Packers faced one another this year. 

To our delight, they do. Not only that, but this game takes place in Dallas on "Sunday Night Football" and mere weeks after the blockbuster went down. It's as tantalizing a matchup as you can find in the history of the NFL. 

Of course, the league is no stranger to revenge games. Maybe the biggest of them all actually involved the Packers when franchise icon turned division rival Brett Favre faced his former team for the first time as a member of the Minnesota Vikings back in 2009. Meanwhile, this half-decade alone has also produced some wildly entertaining and juicy revenge games. That'll be our focus here as we await kickoff between Green Bay and Dallas on Sunday night. As an appetizer for Parsons' return to Dallas, we've ranked the top five revenge games since 2020. 

5. A.J. Brown vs. Tennessee Titans

• When: Week 13 (2022) | Where: Philadelphia
• Stats: Eight catches (10 targets) for 119 yards and two touchdowns

One of the more surprising and impactful trades this decade saw the Tennessee Titans send star receiver A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2022 NFL Draft. The Eagles sent a first- and third-round pick in exchange for Brown, and immediately inked him to a lucrative four-year, $100 million contract extension. Brown had been looked at as a foundational piece for Tennessee, and most figured that the organization would ink him to an extension themselves. Instead, they sent him to Philly to the chagrin of then-coach Mike Vrabel. That decision then sent the organization into a tailspin that was capped by a monster showing from Brown later that season. 

In Week 13, the receiver torched his former team to the tune of 119 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches, helping the Eagles to a 35-10 victory. Two days after that, general manager John Robinson -- the one who pulled the trigger on the trade -- was fired by Tennessee. 

4. Matthew Stafford vs. Lions, Jared Goff vs. Rams

• When: Super Wild Card Weekend (2023 season) | Where: Detroit
• Stafford stats: Completed 25 of 36 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns
• Goff stats: Completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown

This is a little bit of a pivot from a traditional revenge game. Following the blockbuster trade that sent Matthew Stafford to L.A. and Jared Goff to Detroit, these two clubs faced one another the next season in 2021. However, the game was in Los Angeles and was a blowout win by the Rams as the Lions were still rebuilding. Fast forward to 2023, and the Rams had already won a Super Bowl with Stafford, and the Lions were establishing themselves as a powerhouse in the NFC with Goff under center. Both clubs reached the playoffs, which set up Stafford's first trip back to Ford Field since the trade.

That added spice to what was already a massive moment for the Lions, who had won the division for the first time since 1993 and were set to host a playoff game for the first time in three decades as well. As they opened their doors to the playoffs for the first time in forever, their old quarterback was the one walking through the door. You couldn't write a better story. 

As expected, this was a heavyweight bout that saw both teams throw the ball around the yard. Stafford connected with then-rookie Puka Nacua for 181 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. Meanwhile, Amon-Ra St. Brown exploded for seven catches and 110 yards from Goff. Despite a late surge from Stafford and the Rams, the Lions pulled out this game to move on to the divisional round. 

Micah Parsons braces for 'painful' matchup vs. Cowboys' Dak Prescott as Packers star returns to Dallas

Carter Bahns

3. Saquon Barkley vs. New York Giants

• When: Week 7 (2024) | Where: New York
• Stats: 17 carries for 176 yards and a touchdown, along with two catches for 11 yards

One of the biggest stories to come out of last season was the New York Giants allowing Saquon Barkley to enter free agency, and the star back proceeded to sign with their division rival in the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley was sensational throughout the year, rushing for a league-leading 2,005 yards and helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LIX. En route to his first-ever championship, Barkley not only made his former team look bad for not re-signing him, but also torched it on the field. 

Barkley, who spent six seasons in New York after being the No. 2 overall pick in 2018, made his return to MetLife Stadium in Week 7, and he put on a show. He piled up 176 yards on the ground to go along with a goal-line touchdown early in the second quarter to give Philadelphia the lead. At the time, that was the second-most rushing yards Barkley had in a game in his career and currently ranks third. The back also won NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for that effort. 

2. Russell Wilson vs. Seattle Seahawks

• When: Week 1 (2022) | Where: Seattle
• Stats: Completed 29 of 42 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown

It might feel like a distant memory now with Russell Wilson on his third team in as many seasons and hot off the heels of being benched by the Giants, but this was a monster of a game at the time. After serving as Seattle's franchise quarterback for roughly a decade and leading them to two Super Bowl appearances and one title, the relationship between Wilson and the team fractured in 2021. Things also got venomous with reports noting that Wilson wanted the team to fire coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider, which were not granted. Then, once the trade to Denver came to be, Wilson noted that the decision to move on was mutual by both sides. 

As this storyline took over headlines throughout the offseason, the schedule makers worked their magic, squaring Wilson's Broncos off with the Seahawks in Seattle in Week 1 the following season in prime time for "Monday Night Football." We didn't have to wait whatsoever to see these two go toe to toe. For a minute, it looked as if Wilson was going to get the last laugh. Not only did he put together a solid outing statistically, but Wilson, trailing 17-16, had his team on the move with an opportunity to get the win in the final moments of the game. Faced with a fourth-and-5 situation with just over a minute to play, then Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett decided to run down the clock and attempt a 64-yard, game-winning field goal, which sailed wide left. 

It was a confusing decision at the moment, but it led to Carroll and Co. getting the edge over their former quarterback. 

1. Tom Brady vs. New England Patriots

• When: Week 4 (2021) | Where: Foxborough
• Stats: Completed 22 of 43 passes for 269 yards

There was no bigger return/revenge game this decade than Tom Brady heading back to Foxborough to face the New England Patriots for the first time. After two decades of unparalleled success headlined by six Super Bowl titles, the organization parted ways with Brady in 2020, and the legendary quarterback then signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That next season, Brady immediately led the Bucs to a Super Bowl title, meaning he was entering Gillette Stadium not only as a former franchise icon but as a defending champion. 

While it wasn't the most prolific showing of Brady's career, he did show his old team what they were missing. Trailing 17-16 with just over four minutes to play in regulation, Brady orchestrated a seven-play, 45-yard drive to set up the go-ahead field goal right at the two-minute warning. When it was his former team's turn to hold serve, they buckled, giving Brady another victory in Foxborough, only this time as the visitor.