For weeks, rumors swirled of an inevitable divorce between the Jerry Jones-owned franchise and former star Micah Parsons.
Amid contract negotiations that turned ugly, Parsons requested a trade – in a very public manner – from a team he called a “dream” to play for ahead of the 2021 NFL draft which saw him selected 12th overall out of Penn State.
The reasons around paying Parsons what he believes is fair have always been relatively inarguable as his stats and accolades back everything up.
The 26-year-old has 52 1/2 sacks, recording at least 12 in each of his four seasons while making the Pro Bowl each year.
“After repeated shots at myself and all the narratives, I have made a tough decision, I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys,” Parsons said in a post on X on August 1.
A day later, the 82-year-old Jones, adamantly played down the trade request, adding it was “just a part of negotiation.”
Jones quickly changed his tone weeks later, placing the blame on Parson’s agent, David Mulugheta, for the contract holdup.
Despite all of this, one thing was always repeated often by Dallas – Parsons would be donning a Cowboys uniform when the team opened up the season against their division rivals and reigning Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, on the road on September 4.
To make matters potentially more awkward, the Cowboys play host to the Packers at AT&T Stadium on “Sunday Night Football” on September 28.