Michael Irvin believes the relationship between Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons must have passed the point of no return for the Cowboys to trade away their biggest defensive star.
Reflecting on Thursday’s blockbuster that sent Parsons to the Packers following an ugly contract standoff, the iconic Cowboys receiver speculated that “something had to go down” between the team’s owner, 82, and the All-Pro edge rusher, 26, in what’s been a tumultuous offseason for both parties.
“I know he [Jones] loved Micah Parsons,” Irvin said Thursday on his YouTube channel, “So, in order for us to be right here, something had to go down to hurt Jerry personally to make this crazy, dumb move.”
Parsons, the Cowboys’ 12th overall pick in 2021, had been seeking a new contract as he was entering the 2025 season on the final year of his rookie deal.
With no movement made by the start of the preseason — not to mention Jones’ needling of Parsons over his on-field availability — the Penn State product publicly demanded a trade at the beginning of August.
In a lengthy social media message, Parsons peeled back the curtain to a March meeting with Jones, where the apparent conversation about leadership segued to discussions about the future, an exchange Parsons believed wasn’t set in stone.
“Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done,” Parsons wrote in August.
“But when my agent reached out and spoke to [ESPN’s] Adam [Schefter] he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent of course told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again the team decided to go silent.
“At that point, we decided we would allow the team to reach out to us whenever they decided they wanted to talk. Yet still not a call email or text to my agent about starting negotiation. Up to today the team has not had a single conversation with my agent about a contract. Not one demand has been made by my agent about money years or anything else.”
Jones — who initially told fans in the aftermath of Parsons’ trade request, “Don’t lose any sleep over this” — ended the four-year union Thursday by making a seismic deal with the Packers, who shipped two first-rounders and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas.
Green Bay subsequently agreed to a four-year, $188 million deal with Parsons that includes $120 million guaranteed at signing.
Irvin, who played his entire 12-year career with the Cowboys and won three Super Bowls, was steadfast Thursday that Parsons would remain in Dallas, a sentiment that ultimately blew up in his face.
“This is exactly what I was scared and worried about, and I tried to say that I wanted Micah to try to take control of this because, right now, you see what has happened, this isn’t about football. This was about personal, emotions, and it just got to a boiling point,” the 59-year-old said.
“… I really wish that Micah would have taken control of this. I can’t imagine this is what he really wanted. I just cannot imagine that he really wanted to be leaving Dallas.”
Parsons himself said Thursday that this series of events was not what he envisioned either.
“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote. “My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.
“This is a sad day, but not a bitter one. I’ll never forget the joy of draft night, the adrenaline of running out of the tunnel, or the brotherhood shared with my teammates, coaches and the staff who prepared me for every single game. Those memories are mine forever.”
Parsons joins a Green Bay team searching for its first Super Bowl win since February 2011.
The Packers’ championship odds unsurprisingly surged in response to Thursday’s trade news, moving from +1700 to +1200 at FanDuel.
The Cowboys host the Packers on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 4.