What Cowboys-Packers' Micah Parsons trade means a year later
A year after the blockbuster trade, Parsons still has not played a snap for Green Bay, and both teams limp into Sunday's rematch with shaky records.
Why Micah Parsons is back in the headlines
Nearly 14 months after the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers, the All-Pro edge rusher still has not suited up for Green Bay. He is about nine months removed from left ACL surgery and has not been cleared to return from last year's season-ending injury. The two teams meet Sunday at Lambeau Field, and Parsons' absence is still the biggest storyline hanging over both franchises a year later.
Here is what is known. Parsons blew out his knee in Week 15 last season against the Denver Broncos, when Green Bay was 9-3-1. The Packers did not win another game the rest of the way, including a first-round playoff loss. Here is what is not known: exactly when Parsons returns. His comeback could still be weeks away. What happens next is straightforward. Sunday's game at Lambeau Field will be played without him, and it will not settle who got the better end of the trade.
What the Cowboys got back
Dallas had arguably the worst defense in the NFL last season and sits at 2-3 this year while it keeps trying to rebuild that unit. In the trade, the Cowboys landed defensive tackle Kenny Clark along with Green Bay's first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones has since put those pieces to use, trading for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and signing him to a three-year, $105 million extension in August. Jones said the Parsons deal could not have worked out better for Dallas, though he stopped short of saying the Cowboys won the trade outright. Last season, the Cowboys had already flipped the better of their 2027 first-round picks to the New York Jets as part of the package for Williams and a 2026 second-round pick. With the No. 26 pick in this year's draft, the Cowboys added another pass rusher.
What the Packers are waiting on
Green Bay is 3-2 to start this season while it waits on Parsons, the player many around the team believe can get this roster back to a Super Bowl. That did not happen in year one of having him. The Packers were rolling at 9-3-1 before his knee injury last season, then did not win again, including a first-round playoff exit. Until he is back on the field, that collapse still hangs over the building.
Sunday's game won't settle the trade
Last season's meeting between these two teams ended in a 40-40 tie, with Parsons picking up a sack and three tackles in his first game against his old team. Sunday's rematch at Lambeau Field, set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, will be played without him again, so neither side gets a cleaner verdict on the trade this week either.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said he will miss lining up against his former teammate. "Wishing him all the best and getting healthy," Prescott said, adding that the two stayed in touch through the offseason while Parsons rehabbed in Dallas. Prescott made clear where his focus is for Sunday. "It's the Cowboys versus the Packers," he said, and added that it is "not me versus Micah, or the Cowboys versus Micah."
Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.