FRISCO — Micah Parsons returns to AT&T Stadium on Sunday night for the first time since the Cowboys traded their former star pass rusher to the Green Bay Packers. And if the Cowboys have it their way, it’s going to be an unceremonious return.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters on Monday that he doesn’t plan to honor Parsons with a tribute.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate this way,” Jones said. “Emmitt [Smith] was a different story. That’s not to diminish Micah. I think Micah has enough welcome out there and we just need to show that we’ve got antidotes for that.”
Jones and Parsons — as well as Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta — were at opposite ends of a drawn-out and drama-filled contract negotiation this offseason. The Cowboys ultimately elected to trade Parsons for two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark right before the start of the season.
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The decision to trade Parsons was a unanimous one, Jones and head coach Brian Schottenheimer said in the wake of the deal. The Cowboys believed they saved money they could use on other players, as they have with extensions for corner DaRon Bland, fullback Hunter Luepke and Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith.
“He was an asset that we got four great years out of,” Jones said the night they traded Parsons, “but when you are talking about making a contract the kind that he got and for the future, that’s quite a commitment.
Jones has been adamant in his belief that the Cowboys were better off trading Parsons both in the present and the future.
“You’re asking if I regret, no, I don’t regret that at all,” Jones said the night of the trade. “I’m very, very excited about the prospects of what we’ve done for the Cowboys here. I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have done it. I had total control over being able to have it the other way. So, I’m excited. We got what we wanted.”
Without Parsons, however, the Cowboys have struggled to generate a pass rush. They have three combined sacks through the first three games of the season.
Parsons currently has 1.5 sacks for the Packers in a limited role. While the Cowboys don’t plan to make a big deal out of his return, surely the outside world will.
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