Micah Parsons is still mad at Jerry Jones, and this beef has no end in sight
Jerry Jones and NBC did their part to elevate the return of Micah Parsons to his first NFL home into the homecoming of Judas, but this reunion had neither a shred of defense, or emotion.
It didn’t lack for resentment.
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is selling and spinning his love, respect and devotion for the prized defensive end he traded away to the Green Bay Packers, the player is not buying any of it. Nor should he.
In Parsons’ first game against his old team, he was not some Freddy Kreuger supervillain who ascended from Green Bay’s frozen hell to ruin and embarrass the Dallas Cowboys in front of his old boss. Both defenses were atrocious as the Cowboys and Packers played to a 40-all tie.
After the game, Parsons appeared at a podium rather than in front of his locker. I asked him if the emotional aspect of returning to play his old team was harder than he anticipated.
“The emotions for me, being in Dallas, went away the moment they traded me,” Parsons said. “When [Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst] said he was trading for me, he said, ‘Let me call [defensive tackle Kenny Clark] before [the news] breaks.
“The importance for the organization in that, like I didn’t get to talk to my owner — the person that drafted me. I found out through my agent. To me that emotion side was pointless because the same way he called me into his office as a man, he couldn’t tell me as a man. That emotion side was gone; it was more of a respect factor at this point.”
It is personal to Micah Parsons
As player-friendly as Jerry has been in his multidecade ownership of the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons is well within his rights to express his frustrations. It should never have come to this, and as a result, both sides ended in a tie. Which feels like a loss.
Parsons was a Dallas Cowboy for four years, and in that time the team never did enough to make him more than what he desired. Or what his talent said he should have been, which was a Ring of Honor/Hall of Fame player who led the Cowboys to the Super Bowl. Or at least an appearance in the NFC title game.
As evidenced thus far through the first four games, the Cowboys have no combination of players who can do what Parsons does to an opposing offense.
“It’s just numbers. It’s that easy,” Jerry said of the decision not to give Parsons the big contract. “And that’s not personal at all.”
That just means it’s not personal to Jerry. To the person on the other side, not only is it personal but it’s betrayal.
Sunday night at AT&T Stadium was nothing like the return of Luka Doncic to the American Airlines Center when his L.A. Lakers played his old Dallas Mavericks in early April. That entire evening was surreal, and sad. Even a dead heart cracked a tear at the sight of Luka on the bench watching a video tribute, crying.
There was no such moment on Sunday night before, during or after “The Tie.”
Much like Luka’s relationship with the Mavericks, and their fans, Micah’s feelings about his old team are rooted in the disappointment with one person. Luka will always be angry at Mavs GM Nico Harrison, and Parsons will remain checked out on Jerry for a long time.
As a result of all of this, watching Parsons come out of the tunnel onto his old field before the game on Sunday night in the Packers’ green and gold just didn’t strike the emotional chord that NBC, or Jerry, thought it would hit.
One OT sack of Dak Prescott
The Dallas Cowboys are a money-making machine whose existence is comprised of 53 men (and a bunch of cheerleaders) every Sunday, none of whom is bigger than the star. The only guy bigger than the star is the one who owns it. And should you forget that little detail, give it a few minutes and Jerry will remind you.
Parsons was going to be one of those special “Career Cowboys“ who cleaned up because of his time on the most visible professional sports team in North America. That future changed when Jerry decided he was done with Parsons, and did something he really has never done before — trade a prized talent in his prime.
For one evening, the Cowboys themselves made you forget management dealt their most talented player to a conference rival for one defensive tackle and two draft picks. The game itself exceeded all modest expectations, as both defenses were so charitable that it combined to bury the storyline of Micah ‘n’ Jerry.
Mister Micah recorded three tackles, three “QB hits” and one sack of his old friend, Dak Prescott. Parsons also visited the trainer’s tent for a medical issue in the second half that he was miffed at “needing.”
His one sack was effective, not ruinous. In the Cowboys’ lone OT possession, inside the Packers’ 5-yard line, Dak was feeling some pressure, and running when he was barely tripped from behind by his old teammate to return to the original line of scrimmage. An important play, but not the catalyst.
When your team gives up 40 points in a tie, no defensive player can say much about his performance, Micah included.
The final score on Sunday night was an appropriate way to conclude Micah’s time with the Cowboys. It’s a tie. Which is a loss.
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 1:35 AM.
