The Dallas Cowboys just traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in a move that has sent shockwaves around the NFL. It ends a contentious battle between Parsons and the Cowboys after the four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher requested a trade on Aug. 1 after contract negotiations with team owner and general manager Jerry Jones became futile.
While Parsons requested a trade, there was reportedly still hope that he and the Cowboys would work out a deal to keep him with the franchise long term. So it’s a rather surprising outcome given he’s among the best defensive players in the league and was one of the cornerstone pieces of the Cowboys franchise. But it’s not too dissimilar from what another Dallas sports franchise did earlier this year. In fact, there’s several similarities between the two.
I’m of course talking about when the Dallas Mavericks traded franchise centerpiece Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers on Feb. 2, a deal that was widely panned and is still being talked about six months later. Unlike Parsons, Dončić never requested a trade, but envisioned himself playing in Dallas for the entirety of his career. Parsons also felt the same way at one point, saying on his podcast in December 2024, “Y’all know I’m going to be a Cowboy for life.”
Now, though, in the span of six months, two Dallas sports teams have jettisoned their generational players — for comparably underwhelming returns — creating another wave of heartbreak for their fans. To make it even more eerie, both Parsons and Dončić are the same age (26) and were moved to historic franchises that are set up to contend for championships in the future.
Inside the (anonymous) NFL reaction to Cowboys dealing Micah Parsons: ‘This might be the worst trade ever!’
Matt Zenitz
The subpar returns in both scenarios also makes this feel like the Spider-Man meme with everyone pointing at each other. While Mavericks got an All-Star player in return with Anthony Davis, the Cowboys managed to get two first-round picks and a Pro Bowl-level defensive tackle in Kenny Clark. But in both situations had these two teams not haphazardly and spontaneously agreed to trade their star players, they could’ve gotten far better returns. With the contract talks already in a contentious place, the Cowboys could’ve dealt Parsons months ago and created a bidding war with many other teams rather than completing a deal mere days before the start of the NFL season. The same is true of the Mavericks, who sent Dončić packing under the cloak of darkness while none of the other 28 teams even knew he was on the trading block. Both situations came together quickly and unexpectedly, and have left everyone scratching their heads.
There must be something in the water out in Dallas, because for Jones and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison to pull off similar trades in the same year is mind blowing. Trading Parsons is in the same territory of the Dončić deal: you just can’t let that happen. Sending a 26-year-old star player, who has barely scratched the surface of his prime to a team that you just got steamrolled by in the playoffs just over a year and a half ago is inexcusable.
While Parsons doesn’t have quite the illustrious resume that Dončić carries around, he’s without a doubt one of the best players not just on defense, but in the entirety of the NFL. Our CBS Sports’ Top 100 NFL player ranking had him at No. 10 this year, and you could argue he should be higher, that’s just how impactful he is on defense. More than that, next to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb jerseys, Parsons is probably the most common one you’d see worn by fans.
At the start of this year, Dončić and Parsons jerseys were probably the safest ones a Dallas sports fan could buy in terms of the likelihood that neither of them would be traded. But now with a week before the Cowboys hit the road to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, those fans will have to reconcile with yet another popular Dallas sports icon being traded in shocking fashion.
If these two trades continue to parallel each other though, perhaps the Cowboys will also luck out and land the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft with the opportunity to sign a generational player. Let’s not hold our breathe for that, but if Arch Manning declares for the draft and the Cowboys end up with the No. 1 pick, that will undoubtedly set the sports world ablaze again.
