Micah Parsons Completely Gives Up on Cowboys While Embracing New Chapter With Packers

Micah Parsons has gone from Dallas’ headline act to Green Bay’s defining event. The assumption was he’d broker a deal with wide receiver Jayden Reed for the No. 11 he’d worn to stardom in Dallas. He could have gone back to his high school digits, Number 23, but the news broke with Adam Schefter’s tweet:

“Micah Parsons announced he will wear jersey No. 1.” In that simple declaration, a new era was christened. Parsons had previously asked his fans, old and new, “Should I go 0 or 1!” He chose the latter, a digit of singularity, of being first, marking his first chapter with the Packers.

He chose a number untouched by a Packer since the legendary Curly Lambeau himself in 1926. For the Packers, this is their biggest defensive acquisition since Reggie White in 1993. (White held a four-year deal worth $17 million in total). The reported four-year, $188 million deal, making Parsons the highest-paid non-QB in history, is an investment in a championship window. The Packers’ defense, which finished 13th in pressure rate (35.3%) last season, just added a hurricane.

As CBS Sports graded the trade an A+, emphasising that Pairing Parsons with Rashan Gary would be a nightmare for offensive coordinators across the NFC. Now, while the merchandising and defense of the Packers are booming, the Cowboys are doomed to face the repercussions, too.

From discounted jerseys to a one-of-one legacy

The Athletic’s Jon Machota shared a photo: racks of Parsons’ Cowboys jerseys, the iconic No. 11, now slashed to nearly $100 off. In the team shop in Frisco, Texas, the value of a generational talent was being literally discounted, a tangible sign for Cowboys fans that the dream was over.

CBS Sports graded the trade a D-grade. Jerry Jones chose to pay an over-30 Dak Prescott a record QB sum while letting a standoff with a 26-year-old destroyer fester. Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro who is one of only two players in NFL history (alongside you-know-who, Reggie White) to record 12+ sacks in each of their first four seasons, was deemed expendable.

Plus, the return of nose tackle Kenny Clark and two future first-rounders feels like subpar consolation for a player who hasn’t even begun to sniff his prime. As one analyst put it, this is why the Cowboys haven’t been to a Conference Championship game in 30 years.

Micah shed the old 11 and claimed No. 1, A fresh start, a force in motion, and a legacy waiting to be written in Lambeau. While the Cowboys can keep their discounted jerseys. The Packers got the one-of-one player.