Skip Bayless wanted the breakup with Micah Parsons.
He relished it when it happened. He was downright giddy and told Parsons “good riddance” on his way out.
But now, the former ESPN and Fox Sports personality and rabid Dallas Cowboys fans is having a tough time coping with the separation.
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Moments after Parsons and his new team, the Green Bay Packers, dominated another opponent on their way to a second win in as many games to open the season, Bayless took to his social media platforms on Thursday night, Sept. 11, to try to decipher what went wrong in the relationship.
And he was struggling to process it.
In a 15-minute video, Bayless said he “put myself through watching every last snap” of the Packers’ 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders game and “every second” of Parsons’ post-game interviews.
Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons warms up prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field on Sept. 11 in Green Bay.
“As painful as this is to admit, to acknowledge, to honor he was sensational tonight, even more sensational than he was Sunday against Detroit,” noted Bayless, who filmed the video while wearing a Cowboys hat.
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Parsons generated a team-high eight pressures and 0.5 sacks on 37 pass rushes (21.6%), according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. He’s on a snap count as he gets up acclimated after not participating in training camp amid his contract dispute in Dallas before eventually being traded in late August.
Bayless complimented Parsons’ play through two games in Green Bay and recognized his speed off the line of scrimmage and his ability to be a game wrecker.
The problem for Bayless, according to him, is that Parsons showed “supreme athletic explosiveness” in these first two games with the Packers in ways he claims he didn’t see of the 26-year-old the last three years in Dallas.
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“And I’m asking where the hell was that Micah Parsons over the last three years in Dallas?” Bayless questioned, contending that after his defensive rookie of the year season in 2021 he was a non-factor in big games.
While Parsons didn’t satisfy Bayless’ expectations during his time in Dallas, Parsons has been regarded as one of the best defensive players in the game since his arrival in the NFL. It’s why the Packers traded for him and made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He’s been a Pro Bowler in each of his first four seasons and has three All-Pro years.
“Where was that Micah Parsons playing for my team over the last three years, three long years,” Bayless said. “How many times did I have to file a missing Parsons report after games featuring my Dallas Cowboys?”
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He claimed Parsons didn’t have much of a “bang” in recent years and that he felt that Parsons “semi-retired” in years 2, 3 and 4 while waiting to get paid.
Parsons is one just two players in NFL history with 12 or more sacks in each of their first four seasons.
Parsons’ presence has been monumental so far for the Packers defense in stifling two top-tier offenses.
“And now this is hard for me to stomach because now I have to accept the fact that Jerry Jones has traded you to a top 5 defense last year,” Bayless said.
“I can’t stomach it. I can’t live with it because it’s just so wrong now you’re up there all in your glory.”
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Bayless will have to stomach seeing Parsons in two weeks when the Packers play the Cowboys in a Week 4 matchup at AT&T Stadium. And Parsons will look for another glorious performance against his ex.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Skip Bayless struggles processing Micah Parsons’ start with Packers