Micah Parsons Trade Deepens Cowboys’ Decades-Long Curse Against Packers

“I like the pain.” That’s how Jerry Jones summed up why he refuses to relinquish being the Dallas Cowboys’ general manager. But he may have gotten exactly what he wished for. An overwhelming dose of pain heading into the 2025 NFL season. The blockbuster trade sending linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers marks a new and deeply personal twist in a rivalry already steeped in frustration, heartbreak, and eras defined by bitter playoff struggles. For the Cowboys, who haven’t won an NFC championship game since 1996, the curse of the Packers looms larger than ever.

Let’s unpack the historical context of the rivalry, the most brutal playoff losses Dallas has suffered at Green Bay’s hands, and what the future holds after the Parsons trade.

A history of reversal

The Packers-Cowboys rivalry dates back to the 1960s, initially dominated by Green Bay under Vince Lombardi. The Packers won all six meetings in the 1960s, including two iconic NFL Championship games; the brutal ‘Ice Bowl’ of 1967 stood as a chilling symbol of their early supremacy. Dallas endured those losses with the legendary coach Tom Landry locked in a personal rivalry with Lombardi. But the pendulum swung in the 90s when the Cowboys rose as a dominant dynasty led by the “Triplets”: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. The Cowboys’ eight-game winning streak against Green Bay culminated in three consecutive postseason victories in the 90s, propelling Dallas to multiple Super Bowl titles. But this rivalry’s emotional intensity today stems from how this power dynamic has cruelly reversed.

Since Dallas’ last playoff win over Green Bay in the 1996 NFC Championship, the Packers have owned the postseason encounters. Particularly during Aaron Rodgers’ era, Green Bay has repeatedly derailed Dallas’ championship dreams with a flurry of heart-wrenching game-winning moments. Most recently, the Packers stunned the Cowboys in the 2024 Wild Card playoff with a 48-32 win at AT&T Stadium, marking the worst playoff loss in Dallas franchise history.

The most heartbreaking playoff losses

1. The ‘No-Catch’ game (2015 NFC divisional round)

This is where the modern curse seems to have begun. The Cowboys held a slim 21-20 lead late in the fourth quarter when Tony Romo threw a crucial fourth-down pass to Dez Bryant near the end zone. Bryant made a spectacular catch that was initially ruled complete, but upon review, officials overturned it due to a rule that required maintaining possession throughout the catch-to-ground process. Ruled incomplete, Dallas never regained possession. Public outcry led to an NFL rule change later validating the catch had been lawful, framing Dallas as victims of fate and technicality. But this was only the beginning…

2. The ‘sideline flick’ game (2017 NFC divisional round)

Two years later, the Cowboys fought back to force a tie near the end of a high-scoring game. With Green Bay facing a desperate 3rd and 20, Aaron Rodgers pulled off a breathtaking 36-yard sideline completion with a flick of his wrist to Jared Cook. This single play set up Mason Crosby’s game-winning field goal as time expired. This moment of brilliance by Rodgers highlighted the revolving door of tragedy Dallas faces against Green Bay. It’s not just bad luck, but the supremacy of a rival’s greatness as well.

3. The ‘home playoff meltdown’ (2024 wild card round)

The most recent defeat was a wholesale collapse. Despite outpacing the Packers offensively, Dallas’ defense unraveled completely, allowing Green Bay to score on nearly every drive. The Cowboys committed critical turnovers, including two picks thrown by Dak Prescott (one pick-6). Dallas had dug itself into a hole it couldn’t get out of. The Packers’ #7 seed upset of the Cowboys’ #2 seed by 16 points was historic not just for its margin, but also for what it revealed. Institutional dysfunction and player-level failure. The curse wasn’t just about superstition anymore; it screamed systemic problems for Dallas.

Since the inception of the Super Bowl in 1967, Dallas has faced off against the Packers 9 times. Dallas trails behind the Packers with 4-5. It sounds close at first, but it’s alarming that Dallas has failed to mount a victory against them in their last three clashes (2015, 2017 and 2024). Dallas’ offensive depth this season seemed promising, but with Parsons now lining up in Green Bay, that offense will face the greatest challenge against Dallas’ ex-greatest defender. So, what now?

Playoffs, Parsons, and what’s next?

No one saw this coming. While the standoff continued for months, it reached a breaking point when Micah Parsons requested a trade and took the fight to social media. Still, Jerry Jones continued his media campaign, firing shots at Parsons’ agent, all the while maintaining that “Any talk of trading is BS.” But now we know it wasn’t so much a lie as a marketing scheme. The media continued to hype up Parsons’ pedigree. As his stocks rose, so did the price tag. This wasn’t going to be a deal where you hand him $1 million more to make him rank the highest. The Packers knew the value Parsons brings in his prime. And that value was a massive $47 million a year payout. But what about the rivalry?

Jerry Jones compares the Parsons trade to one that shook up headlines decades ago: Herschel Walker. The trade may have given Dallas the ammunition it needed to arm itself better, but will it work the way Walker’s trade brought success to Dallas’ 90s dynasty? Jones believes so, as he notes, “Micah Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years and a little bit of the way Herschel Walker may have had his greatest contribution to the Cowboys – what he brought to us when he left could be a tremendous thing for our fans and the success of this team.”

Dallas now has two first-round picks from the Packers (2026 & 2027), and Jones could use them as trade chips right away. “Nothing says we can’t use some of those picks right now, to go get somebody right now; don’t rule that out.” But as news of this broke out, there was one question the Cowboys Nation flooded the comments sections with. “Someone like Micah Parsons?”

Jerry further added, “This was a move to get us successful in the playoffs.” But will success be that easy without Parsons? Micah was the centerpiece of Dallas’ defense and carried the hope for overcoming their postseason struggles on his (aching?) back. But the narrative changes. Now, every time Dak Prescott looks for an opening, Parsons stands a chance of pressuring and sacking him. Forget the promise of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens opening up the field for Prescott. The challenge for Dallas will be to make changes to an offense that Parsons has watched develop throughout the offseason. And above the stats and stakes, there’s also the incalculable emotional aspect that Parsons leaves Dallas with.

Beyond the trenches: the emotions

Parsons’ arrival in Green Bay adds a personal layer to the rivalry narrative. We are strongly reminded of parallel moments in Cowboys history, such as when Emmitt Smith went to the Cardinals towards the end of his career. Upon returning to face Dallas, Smith was visibly emotional in the locker room. In the stands, the faithful held signs affirming, “Emmitt, you will always be our star.” Just like that bittersweet departure, the crowds will find themselves divided again. The choices? Devotion to a fallen star now clad in Packers green and loyalty to the Cowboys’ quest for redemption.

The Cowboys are set to face off against the Packers in Week 4 of the 2025 regular season. That showdown now promises to be much more than on-field drama. Now, when Parsons lands a sack, instead of cheers, groans will echo through the Cowboys Nation at AT&T Stadium. With Micah Parsons now standing on the other side, the Packers curse has a new face. But will that familiar face now write the next chapter of heartbreak for the Cowboys? We’ll find out soon enough…