ClutchPoints
When Micah Parsons steps back onto the turf at AT&T Stadium on Sunday Night Football in Week 4, the emotions will be high. The Green Bay Packers (2-1) head to Arlington to take on the Dallas Cowboys (1-2), in what will be Parsons’ first game back since his trade last month.
However, after all Parsons did in four stellar seasons with Dallas, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear the franchise won’t honor or celebrate his return.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate this way, Emmitt [Smith] was a different story,” Jones told reporters via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “But that’s not to diminish Micah. I think Micah’s got enough welcome out there. We just need to show we’ve got antidotes for that.”
The stance stands at odds with how Dallas handled past returns, including Smith and Ezekiel Elliott, who both received tribute videos. Parsons, however, will receive no such recognition from the team that drafted him.
Parsons built a resume with the Cowboys that few defenders in the league could match. In just four seasons, he recorded 52.5 sacks, a total that ranked behind only Myles Garrett, T.J. Watt, Trey Hendrickson, and Nick Bosa during that span.
Moreover, he piled up 63 tackles for loss, 112 quarterback hits, 261 total tackles, nine forced fumbles, and nine pass breakups. He also never posted fewer than 12 sacks in a season, despite missing four games in 2024 with a high ankle sprain.
Furthermore, Parsons earned four Pro Bowl selections, two First-Team All-Pro honors, a Second-Team All-Pro, and the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Things didn’t exactly end on a high note between Parsons and the Cowboys. Entering 2025 on his fifth-year option with no progress toward a long-term deal, Parsons requested a trade. Jones ultimately dealt him to Green Bay in late August for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
The Packers quickly rewarded Parsons with a four-year, $188 million contract with $136 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Through three games this season with Green Bay, Parsons has posted five tackles and 1.5 sacks while playing through a back injury earlier in the season. He also ranks third among NFL edge rushers in Pro Football Focus grades, earning a 90.1 overall mark and 91.5 pass-rush grade. As lean as his box-score stats may look, he ranks third in QB hits (four) and has anchored a defense that currently ranks No. 3 in the league, allowing just 14.7 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys’ defense has been left picking up the pieces without Parsons, ranking 30th in total defense with just three sacks in three weeks.
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