The Dallas Cowboys moved on from the Mike McCarthy era after five seasons last January. But the former head coach has a distinct tie to Sunday’s matchup as the Cowboys will host his other former team, the Green Bay Packers.
Sunday’s game has been dominated by many storylines, but few pale in comparison to Micah Parsons’s return to Dallas. The former Cowboy also saw his tenure come to a shocking end with a trade to Green Bay on Aug. 28 in exchange for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks. But while fans may still be upset with the move, McCarthy tried to spin it as a positive in his usual tone deaf manner.
“That’s a really good locker room in Dallas and Kenny is a really good fit,” McCarthy said in an interview with D Magazine. “That and two No. 1 picks…I know there is a long-term component that Dallas probably doesn’t want to talk about with this trade, but I think they should feel good about that.”
History Says the Cowboys Won’t Replace Micah Parsons After Blockbuster Trade
McCarthy’s logic makes some sense when you look at the Cowboys’ roster and salary cap situation. Dallas made big commitments to Dak Prescott (four years, $240 million) and CeeDee Lamb (four years, $136 million) over the past two seasons and is $40 million over the cap heading into 2026. Adding Parsons’ four-year, $186 million contract extension, which he received after being traded to Green Bay, would have also pressed Dallas even further toward the salary cap and required them to hit on the majority of their draft picks to keep the team competitive.
By trading Parsons, the Cowboys saved some financial gymnastics and built a stronger team around Prescott and Lamb. But that’s not something Cowboys fans want to hear, as Parsons has been as dominant as ever this season.
Parsons is an elite talent and one who became a pillar of the Cowboys’ defense in his four seasons with the team. Since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, only Reggie White (70.0), Derrick Thomas (58.0), J.J. Watt (57.0), and DeMarcus Ware (53.5) had more sacks in the first four years of a player’s career than Parsons’ 52.5 from 2021 to 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, Parsons has picked up where he left off this season. His 91.5 pass-rushing grade is third among qualifying edge rushers, trailing Myles Garrett (92.0) and Joey Bosa (91.8). His 15 pressures are also tied for 10th but could be higher on the list if the Packers weren’t managing his snaps over the first two weeks.
An annual value of $46.5 million would have been a tough pill to swallow. But some players are just worth the money to keep around. It is also tone-deaf considering the Cowboys aren’t a team that considers itself to be rebuilding after paying Prescott and Lamb.
In essence, the Parsons trade has the Cowboys hoping they could find a player like Parsons with either of the two first-round draft picks they received in the trade. With Parsons being a generational talent, the odds of that are slim, making McCarthy’s observation about the future look oblivious in the present.
