Green Bay Packers pass-rusher Micah Parsons, who was named third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2025, almost went to another club before getting his opportunity with the green and gold. Parsons, who podcasts
a lot in the offseason, has been going on a press run during Super Bowl week. At a Bleacher Report Gridiron event, Parsons said his trade from the Dallas Cowboys went down to the wire between the Packers and Philadelphia Eagles.
It was very close. Eagles, before the Jaelan Phillips, before all them, it was me. I was really about to come, but there was one person that I had to play with that, if he was gone, I did not want be there. That was Jalen Carter. They wanted a d-tackle. They wanted to trade me plus some picks. I don’t really care about the picks, but I’m coming to play next to J.C.
Yes, the Cowboys could have traded Parsons to any NFL club. At the same time, no team would have given the Cowboys the return they received in the trade without Parsons committing to sign a multi-year contract. So, if Parsons didn’t want to play with a Carter-less Eagles team, he could have legitimately held that line. Apparently, he did.
Notably, the trade between Dallas and Green Bay included a poison pill, which forces the Packers to send their 2028 first-round pick to the Cowboys if Parsons is sent to an NFC East team before the 2027 new league year. Green Bay is already down their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks from the Parsons trade.
Beyond those draft selections, the Packers also sent Dallas defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who is no Jalen Carter, but is still a starting defensive tackle. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly stated that Clark was a big reason why the trade was able to get done. Clark has a similar poison pill as part of his roster condition. If Clark is sent to an NFC North team this offseason, Green Bay will get Dallas’ 2028 first-round pick.
Don’t hold your breath on that, though. Clark can be released from the Cowboys for $21.5 million in cap space and cash savings this offseason. It’s much more likely that he’ll be a cap casualty, if he’s not on Dallas in 2026, than a trade piece.
