One week before the start of the regular season, the Cowboys and Packers completed a landscape-altering trade. Micah Parsons will play out his second contract in Green Bay after talks with Dallas did not produce a deal. 
Further details on the process which ultimately resulted in Parsons landing a record-breaking investment for non-quarterbacks have emerged. The four-time Pro Bowler and his camp spent a lengthy period without negotiations taking place, with owner Jerry Jones attempting to stick to the terms spoke about during the spring. Agent David Mulugheta was not present for that conversation, something which proved to be a central talking point in this saga.
In the aftermath of the trade, Parsons told NFL Network’s Jane Slater he and his camp went to the team in a bid to reengage on contract talks once reports emerged about a trade being possible in recent days. The two-time All-Pro said Dallas’ response was for him to commit to playing on his fifth-year option or to “leave.” During Thursday’s press conference, Jones confirmed (via colleague Mike Garafolo) that was the team’s stance leading up to the trade being finalized.
“We do have players that come in, and we totally respect it, that say, ‘I don’t feel comfortable talking about my contract. I’d like you to go through my agent,'” COO Stephen Jones said during the presser (via Garafolo). “And we do that respectfully. I mean, you’re not required to come in and negotiate the contract yourself. All the ones we’ve done like that are those who request to come in and visit with Jerry or myself. That’s the only ones we’ve done that way.”
Among Jerry Jones’ many comments on the situation was the claim he offered to make Parsons the top earner for non-quarterbacks during the unofficial spring contract talks. A report from yesterday indicated the deal discussed was five years in length and averaged $40.5MM per season. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe confirms (subscription required) those were indeed the terms presented by Dallas. In the end, Parsons landed $47MM on average – along with massive guarantee figures – on a four-year Packers extension. Term length is often a point of contention regarding Cowboys contract talks, with the team preferring longer pacts.
As the Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb deals indicated last offseason, though, Jones and Co. have been willing to compromise with four-year accords. That did not prove to be the case with Parsons. As a result, the 26-year-old is on the move just before Week 1. The deteriorating relationship between team and player in this case included a trade request being issued on August 1, something which is commonplace during extension talks. Jerry and Stephen Jones added during the press conference (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) they never felt as if Parsons genuinely wanted to leave, though.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated notes the length of Dallas’ offer appears to have been an issue. He adds the Penn State product’s behavior shifted over the course of the summer as this situation played out; Parsons attended walkthroughs and team meetings but did not take part in on-field drills during training camp. His decision to lay on medical table during Dallas’ final preseason contest became a talking point (and was immediately followed by a meeting with head coach Brian Schottenheimer). Jerry Jones noted that episode did not impact the decision to move forward with a trade.
“We’ve certainly got a new coaching staff and a third of all the players are new,” Jones said (via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News) when reflecting on the Parsons trade and the Cowboys’ 2025 prospects. “And obviously there is freshness, we’ll use the word new on that basis. We have the highest-paid player in the NFL at quarterback and we made that commitment last year and we’re proud we made it. It had everything to do with this decision. It gives us every opportunity with Dak Prescott, Lamb and the base that we got to win now.”
Observers are skeptical about Dallas’ defense improving in the short term without Parsons in the fold, although the inclusion of defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the package sent from Green Bay will help the Cowboys’ run defense. The fate of the two first-round picks Dallas also received will be key in telling the final story of this trade. For now, all parties are positioned to move forward after a last-minute effort to work out a Cowboys extension was shut down.
