Why did Micah Parsons leave the Cowboys? Revisiting Jerry Jones contract dispute that led to Packers trade
The Cowboys believed they had a franchise cornerstone in Micah Parsons. Instead, the All-Pro pass-rusher has a new home with an NFC rival while Dallas is left picking up the pieces defensively.
Parsons was traded to the Packers just a week before the Cowboys kicked off their season against the Eagles, ending a drawn-out saga that hung over the franchise for an entire summer but also leaving Dallas without one of the best defensive players in team history.
Here's what you need to know about the Packers' trade for Parsons and what ended the Pro-Bowler's time in Dallas.
Micah Parsons trade details
The Packers and Cowboys hammered out a deal for Parsons on Aug. 28, 2005, seven days before Dallas' season opener. Here are the pieces involved.
Packers receive:
- EDGE Micah Parsons
Cowboys receive:
- DT Kenny Clark
- 2026 1st-round pick
- 2027 1st-round pick
The Cowboys picked up two first-round picks in the deal, giving them some ammo for 2026 and 2027, while also bringing in DT Kenny Clark. Clark, primarily a run defender, had spent his first nine NFL seasons in Green Bay after the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2016 draft.
MORE: Key moments from Micah Parsons' Packers debut
Why did Micah Parsons leave the Cowboys?
Parsons and the Cowboys failed to find common ground on a contract extension for the second consecutive offseason, and the relationship between the two sides reportedly deteriorated to the point that both sides were content to move on without each other.
Parsons, who was heading into the final year of his rookie deal as he prepared to play on the fifth-year option, requested a trade on Aug. 1, stating in plain terms that he no longer wanted to be in Dallas. Reports indicated Cowboys owner Jerry Jones believed he had struck a deal with Parsons in the spring, only for Parsons' agent — who wasn't involved in those negotiations — to step in and nix the deal.
Parsons, agent David Mulugheta and Jones all traded words — some subtle, some not so subtle — in the four weeks leading up to the blockbuster trade. While history indicated the Cowboys often get deals done with their disgruntled stars just before the start of the season, this situation turned out to be much different. The relationship never recovered, and Dallas moved on by dealing Parsons to Green Bay over Philadelphia.
MORE MICAH PARSONS TRADE NEWS:
- Trade grades: Packers earn high marks, Cowboys save face
- Bender: Will Parsons be Reggie White 2.0 for Packers?
- What Jerry Jones said about Parsons trade at tense press conference
Micah Parsons contract dispute timeline
Parsons first became eligible for a contract extension after the 2023 season, but the 2024 offseason went by quietly without a new deal for the former All-Pro.
Parsons first put pressure on the Cowboys in February 2024, arguing that his price tag would only get more expensive over time if the team didn't act quickly.
"If they call my number and say, ‘Hey, we ready,’ we’re ready, but if not, I’m going to put another Pro Bowl year," Parsons told ESPN's Stephen A. Smith.
That's exactly what Parsons did. He registered 12 sacks and earned a fourth Pro Bowl selection even after missing about a month with an ankle injury. Then, when Myles Garrett signed an extension for the Browns for $40 million per year, Parsons' price tag moved even higher, considering he was looking to be the NFL's highest-paid defender.
Parsons and the Cowboys nearly agreed to an extension in the spring of 2025, when the 26-year-old and Jerry Jones negotiated a deal personally, but talks broke down when Dallas refused to engage with Parsons' agent, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini.
Parsons reported to mandatory minicamp in June after skipping OTAs, and he also reported to training camp without participating in practices, citing a back issue. When he arrived, Parsons reiterated to reporters that he wanted to play for the Cowboys but said he showed up to camp for his teammates, not for owner Jerry Jones.
Meanwhile, Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones told reporters that Parsons has to "want to be paid," indicating that he didn't believe Parsons' team was attempting to negotiate in good faith.
"We want to pay Micah, too," Jones said. "He’s gotta want to be paid."
As Jerry Jones addressed fans at the Cowboys' practice on July 26, fans made their demands clear, chanting, "Pay Micah!"
The saga then came to a head when Parsons released a lengthy statement on Aug. 1 revealing he submitted a formal trade request to Stephen Jones.
"I no longer want to be here," Parsons said, accusing the Cowboys of "taking shots" at him for missing time with an injury in 2024 and creating "narratives" about him. Many of Parsons' teammates came to his defense, with WR CeeDee Lamb — whose contract negotiations were also an ordeal — tweeting, "Just pay the man."
In response, Jones told Cowboys fans "don't lose any sleep," seemingly implying that he had no interest in trading Parsons.
While trade rumors had been scant after Parsons' request, ESPN's Adam Schefter poured cold water on the idea that the Cowboys were any closer to a long-term deal with the star pass-rusher on Aug. 19, telling "The Pat McAfee Show" that the two sides had not negotiated since the spring.
"Right now it feels more likely that Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys are heading towards a divorce," Schefter reported.
After reports indicated the Cowboys were becoming more open to the idea of trading Parsons, Dallas sent the pass-rusher to the Packers in a blockbuster deal on Aug. 28.
Micah Parsons contract details
Parsons signed a four-year, $186 million contract extension with the Packers immediately upon being traded. The deal includes $136 million guaranteed and makes Parsons easily the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at $46.5 million per year, shattering T.J. Watt's record of $41 million.
Parsons is playing out the 2025 season on his fifth-year option, making $24 million. His mega deal will kick in next season and run through 2029.
Kellen Moore’s Head Coaching Debut Called ‘Completely Awful’ After Saints’ Loss to Cardinals
No one thought Kellen Moore was going to go directly from his one year as Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator to making the New Orleans Saints less of a joke than they’ve been in recent years.
But to look even worse, somehow? That wasn’t in the plans, either.
The Athletic’s Mike Jones (who?) called out Moore for what proved to be a completely awful debut as the new head coach of the Saints in a 23-20 Week 1 loss to the equally moribund Arizona Cardinals.
Jones did point out the Saints … seemed to try hard?
Talk about damning with faint praise.
” … Moore’s players displayed some fight,” Jones wrote on September 10. “Quarterback Spencer Rattler had some bright spots and kept slinging despite some tough situations. But poor clock management, a few questionable decisions and sloppy play ultimately overshadowed Moore’s head coaching debut. Moore, a sharp offensive mind as a coordinator, showed his inexperience at times. He went in at halftime with all three timeouts in his back pocket and later explained he was trying his best to save his timeouts. Saving them for what, though?”
Saints Job Seemed Radioactive In Offseason
There’s probably a reason the Saints job was the first head coaching spot to open and the last to close.
New Orleans fired Dennis Allen after a 2-7 start in 2024 — they ultimately finished 5-12 — then the Saints were the last of 6 head coaching vacancies filled when Moore was hired just days after he helped lead the Eagles to a 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans.
That reason? Anyone considering the Saints job also had to consider its fraught leadership situation with owner Gayle Benson and general manager Mickey Loomis — a duo that has seemingly run the franchise into the ground since the late Tom Benson’s death in 2018.
That starts with the losses of Payton and future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees in consecutive years — Brees in 2021 and Payton in 2022 — and continues with some questionable draft decisions, including taking offensive tackles in the first round each of the last 2 years.
In 2024, the Saints selected offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga at No. 14 overall — ahead of NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl edge rusher Jared Verse at No. 19 to the Los Angeles Rams and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist and Pro Bowl wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. at No. 23 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, when they went 12-4 in Payton’s next-to-last season.
From Record Setting College QB to NFL Head Coach
Most football fans first met Moore for the first time as the starting quarterback for Boise State, where he went 49-3 from 2008 to 2011, including an undefeated, 14-0 record in 2009, and walked away with the FBS record for wins.
Moore spent 6 seasons as a backup quarterback for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys before going directly into coaching, eventually becoming an offensive coordinator for the Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers before his breakthrough season with the Eagles led to a Super Bowl win following last season.
