{"id":254409,"date":"2025-09-25T20:17:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:17:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/254409\/"},"modified":"2025-09-25T20:17:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T20:17:10","slug":"packers-micah-parsons-downplays-return-to-dallas-dont-believe-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/254409\/","title":{"rendered":"Packers&#8217; Micah Parsons downplays return to Dallas. Don&#8217;t believe him"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/86034528007-apc-pack-vs-lions-121015-090725-wag.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>NFL Week 4 best bets: Consider Commanders and Packers on Sunday<\/p>\n<p>Need help with your picks? Lorenzo Reyes explains what makes the odds for Commanders-Falcons, Chargers-Giants and Packers-Cowboys so enticing.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Micah Parsons is returning to Dallas for the first time since being traded from the Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers.<\/li>\n<li>The trade involved Parsons going to Green Bay for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.<\/li>\n<li>Parsons, now the highest-paid non-quarterback, feels he has a better chance to win a Super Bowl with the Packers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t heard, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/2025\/09\/25\/micah-parsons-cowboys-video-tribute\/86342352007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Micah Parsons<\/a> is headed back to Big D.<\/p>\n<p>No, silly, Jerry Jones hasn\u2019t found an answer for using his recently acquired draft capital to land the edge rusher the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> desperately need for a woeful defense that, well, surely misses the presence of the edge rusher he traded to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/sports\/nfl\/green-bay-packers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Green Bay Packers<\/a> nearly a month ago.<\/p>\n<p>Parsons is headed back for a primetime showcase at Jerry World on Sunday night that looks like a slaughter waiting to happen \u2013 or perhaps a grand reminder of how much the Cowboys blew it in dealing away one of the NFL\u2019s premier defensive players in his prime.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Parsons, who landed a four-year, $186 million contract in the exchange that averages $46.5 million annually and makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, downplayed the hype when he met with reporters in the locker room this week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI feel like this is going to be another game for me,\u201d Parsons said.<\/p>\n<p>Yeah, right.<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">MORE: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/2025\/09\/24\/micah-parsons-dak-prescott-sack-packers-cowboys\/86324580007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Micah Parsons says it will be &#8216;painful&#8217; to sack former teammate Dak Prescott<\/a><\/p>\n<p>For all the drama that led to the August 28 trade \u2013 the Cowboys received Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks \u2013 this must-see-TV matchup (NBC, 8:20 pm ET) is hardly another game for the NFL universe.<\/p>\n<p>Yet Parsons, so media savvy, enabled for years by the intense Cowboys spotlight, knows. There\u2019s not much he really needs to say. We can read through the lines.<\/p>\n<p>Another game?<\/p>\n<p>This is what he could have said: I\u2019m going to show out with a statement game that lets everybody know what the fuss was all about.<\/p>\n<p>Parsons, 26, expects he will receive a warm welcome from the crowd. After all, the last time he was at AT&amp;T Stadium, on the sideline for a preseason game, he was seen stretched out on a training table behind the bench, apparently seeking relief for his sore back. Well, the back is better now, given a recovery that ramped up after the trade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Dallas loves me,\u201d he said. \u201cI think they\u2019re going to give me a good round of applause. There\u2019s no hard feelings there. At least not for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What might have been said another way: Did you hear the people chanting, \u2018Pay Micah!\u2019 Some fans even showed up with signs expressing that message. Now they\u2019ve got to watch me in another uniform. I love my guy, Dak Prescott, but he\u2019s got to go down, too, like any other quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>Parsons, drafted out of Penn State with the 12th pick overall in 2021, is still tight with many of his former Cowboys teammates. Prone to attack from various points across the formation, he finds it interesting that he\u2019ll be matched up against some of the offensive linemen that he took under his wing and tutored, most recently over several weeks in training camp. Now Dallas is pressed to devise schemes against him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it gives me an advantage because I know how those guys play,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cI know how they want to play. I know the identity that they want to create. It\u2019s funny, because I spent all of training camp helping these guys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s what I think I heard with that: Good luck, fellas. I know you can\u2019t block me. I know he can\u2019t block me. Or him, too. And that one there, surely can\u2019t slow me down.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys won\u2019t honor Parsons with any type of tribute, which they did when Emmitt Smith and Ezekiel Elliott returned to Jerry World with the Cardinals and Patriots, respectively. Jones specifically mentioned that Smith was a special case, given that he became the NFL\u2019s all-time leading rusher and won three Super Bowls in a Cowboys uniform. No argument there. Parsons joins legendary Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players in NFL history to post at least 12 sacks in his first four seasons, but when it came to that series of playoff collapses during his Dallas tenure, he had no such presence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of things I could consider disrespectful throughout this process. I wouldn\u2019t say the (lack of a) tribute is one of them,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cI would say\u2026I just think there\u2019s hard feelings, maybe for them. I\u2019m happy where I\u2019m at. And we\u2019ve got a really good team.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">MORE: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/2025\/09\/25\/micah-parsons-cowboys-video-tribute\/86342352007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Despite no video tribute, Micah Parsons has &#8216;no hard feelings&#8217; toward Cowboys<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What I would be thinking: Look, trading me away was a huge blessing. On top of the contract, I\u2019ve got a much better chance of finally winning a Super Bowl with the Packers. Now that would be a tribute to write home about. It worked out for DeMarcus Ware, who got cut years ago and went on to win a Super Bowl with the Broncos. So, I\u2019m good.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, Parsons said that he never talked to Jones as the trade went down. Or even as the soap opera played out during the summer, when he was a \u201chold-in\u201d as contract talks broke down and he was moved to go on social media to demand a trade.<\/p>\n<p>Jones maintained that he thought he had a \u201chandshake deal\u201d with his star player \u2013 as he has previously negotiated directly with key players, an apparent violation of the CBA &#8212; but a new contract never materialized from those discussions last spring after Parsons apparently told the team owner\/GM to follow up with his agent, David Mulugheta.<\/p>\n<p>It seems apparent that at some point egos became part of the equation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI never even heard from Jerry Jones himself\u2026when I even got traded,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cI found out through my agent. I haven\u2019t talked to Jerry Jones since, what, OTAs? It\u2019s one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What he might have meant: What\u2019s my agent\u2019s name? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/2025\/09\/02\/micah-parsons-jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-contract-offer\/85938978007\/#:~:text=Micah%20Parsons%27%20agent%20denies%20telling,of%20what%20he%20told%20him.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">It\u2019s spelled M-U-L-U-G-H-E-T-A.<\/a> If you were really serious about signing me to an extension, Jerry, you could have ironed out with my agent, just like NFL contract business is typically done. And for us not to talk, it sure seems odd that I heard a lot coming from you indirectly in interviews and press conferences. And people criticize me for having a podcast? Go figure.<\/p>\n<p>Parsons has posted 1 \u00bd sacks and 19 quarterback pressures in 116 defensive snaps for a unit that has allowed the fewest points in the NFL (14.7 per game) and ranks third for total yards (232.3 per game) and rushing yards (64.3). All eyes will be on Parsons, but if anybody is poised to steal the thunder it is Green Bay\u2019s other edge rusher, Rashan Gary, who leads the NFL with 4 \u00bd sacks. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know that they\u2019ve got a plan for me,\u201d Parsons said. \u201cBut it\u2019s not about me. If they worry about me, I\u2019ve got other guys. I\u2019ve got D-Wyatt (Devonte Wyatt), I\u2019ve got Karl (Brooks). I\u2019ve got Rashan, whose dominating this year. So, I have that to my advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He could be thinking this: We\u2019ve got a complete defense. Get your popcorn ready.<\/p>\n<p>Contact Jarrett Bell at <a href=\"mailto:jbell@usatoday.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">jbell@usatoday.com<\/a> or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell<\/p>\n<p>On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL Week 4 best bets: Consider Commanders and Packers on Sunday Need help with your picks? Lorenzo Reyes&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":254410,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[691,5229,8015,8019,2866,3189,57230,13555,1596,2488,1318,30214,2487,11652,134226,103011,30581,11138,1571,5382,942,50,1232,12623,1269,8614,450,950,30582,41211,134227,134228,62,1458,645,2490,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-254409","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-ai","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-american","11":"tag-american-football","12":"tag-clark","13":"tag-content","14":"tag-dak","15":"tag-dak-prescott","16":"tag-dallas","17":"tag-enabled","18":"tag-football","19":"tag-gary","20":"tag-highlights","21":"tag-hub","22":"tag-kenny","23":"tag-kenny-clark","24":"tag-micah","25":"tag-micah-parsons","26":"tag-national","27":"tag-national-sports","28":"tag-neutral","29":"tag-news","30":"tag-nfl","31":"tag-nfl-hub","32":"tag-opinion","33":"tag-opinion-content","34":"tag-overall","35":"tag-overall-neutral","36":"tag-parsons","37":"tag-prescott","38":"tag-rashan","39":"tag-rashan-gary","40":"tag-sports","41":"tag-sports-news","42":"tag-story","43":"tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","44":"tag-texas","45":"tag-tx","46":"tag-united-states","47":"tag-united-states-of-america","48":"tag-unitedstates","49":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","50":"tag-us","51":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254409\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}