Jerry Jones shocked the world late last month after contract negotiations broke down with Micah Parsons, and the Cowboys traded the All-Pro pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now reporting that the Philadelphia Eagles made a push to acquire the four-time Pro Bowler … but Dallas had zero interest in that proposition.
Trading star players within the same division is rare in the NFL; Jones sending Parsons to the Eagles, a divisional rival, despite Parsons’ Pennsylvania roots, was always highly unlikely. Instead, the Cowboys will face their former teammate in Week 4 at Green Bay —not Week 1 with Philadelphia.
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The Cowboys entered the offseason with the Parsons contract situation hanging over their heads, and as usual, Jones decided to wait until the end of the preseason and potentially into the start of the regular season. We’ve seen this pattern with Jones and the Cowboys’ front office in recent years. Last offseason, Dallas waited until the last possible minute to extend quarterback Dak Prescott. The announcement of his record-setting contract came down just hours before the season opener in Cleveland.
Most had assumed a similar pattern would happen with Parsons, and he’d be resigned and play the bulk of his prime in Big D. However, without any progress being made in negotiations for a long-term deal with the Cowboys, Parsons was traded and instead received a four-year contract extension from Green Bay worth $188 million, with $120 million of that guaranteed.
Parsons, despite being a native of Pennsylvania and alumnus of Penn State, grew up a fan of the Cowboys and wanted to continue wearing the star on his helmet. Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, spoke with Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday morning on First Take about the process and what happened.
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“He grew up cheering for the Cowboys, wore the blue and white at Penn State, wore it in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys,” agent David Mulugheta shared on ESPN’s “First Take.” “He wanted to be a Cowboy, and we did everything we could for him to remain a Cowboy.”
Parsons is widely considered a generational talent and only the second player in NFL history to record at least 12 sacks in his first four years as a pro. Reggie White was the first to accomplish that, and now Parsons will attempt to fill those shoes in Green Bay.
The Cowboys and Packers will meet for a Week 4 Sunday Night Football showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with kickoff set for September 28 at 8:20 p.m. ET.