Micah Parsons traded by Cowboys to Packers, gets record contract

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By Fantasy Roundup · August 29, 2025

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys traded four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. In exchange, the Cowboys received three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks (2026 and 2027). Parsons agreed to a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, sources told ESPN. Parsons released a statement on social media Thursday, saying in part, "I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control. My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process."He will return to Dallas with the Packers in Week 4 this season when Green Bay plays the Cowboys on "Sunday Night Football." Earlier Thursday, ESPN reported that the Cowboys were willing to listen to trade offers for Parsons, and talks escalated quickly. In a 46-minute news conference later Thursday, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said that he ultimately made the trade to help the team win now. "This was a move to get us successful in the playoffs," Jones said. "This was a move to be better on defense, stopping the run. This was a move to, if we get behind, not be run on. And it was a deliberate move, a well-thought-out move to make this happen." The trade ends what, at one time, appeared to be a careerlong relationship between the Cowboys and Parsons. Before the 2021 draft, Parsons said his dream was to play for the Cowboys, and after a trade down, Dallas selected him with the 12th pick. As late as last December, Parsons told ESPN he wanted his name to be remembered like Hall of Famers Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, whose jersey numbers have never been worn again. But those feelings ended during an acrimonious negotiation on a contract extension that was never finalized and a trade request that was made Aug. 1. Jones said that the Cowboys would not trade Parsons, but the package in return was evidently worthy of a deal. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has said that rarely, if ever, does he think a team is one player away. He reiterated that Aug. 27, when asked if a player like Parsons could put his team over the hump. Jones could hope the trade of Parsons has a similar effect to that of the 1989 trade of running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings, which the Cowboys used to build their rosters that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

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