Dak Prescott reacts to Micah Parsons trade, reveals what he told star pass rusher after Cowboys departure

The Dallas Cowboys will take the field without star pass rusher Micah Parsons in Thursday’s Week 1 road contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. After failed negotiations over a long-term contract extension, Dallas traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

Parsons was the face of the Cowboys’ defense. Quarterback Dak Prescott is the face of the offense and arguably the entire squad. Three days after Parsons’ departure from Dallas, Prescott addressed the media, sharing his overall reaction to the blockbuster trade.

“I definitely didn’t think he was going to get traded,” Prescott said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “But just with the way their negotiations went down, obviously to some extent, hell, y’all were asking me questions, it seemed like it got personal on their ends, so that’s why I wasn’t surprised.”

Prescott and Parsons, teammates since the latter’s NFL arrival in 2021, exchanged messages. Prescott revealed what he told Parsons.

“I wished him good luck,” Prescott said.

Prescott previously said he was confident Parsons would be on the field in Week 1. Perhaps he will, but he won’t be in a Cowboys uniform.

Micah Parsons, Cowboys split ahead of Week 1 opener

Parsons, 26, requested out of Dallas after making zero progress on a new deal as he entered the 2025 season set to play on his fifth-year option. The Packers believe Parsons can transform their defense, rewarding him with a four-year, $188 million deal with $136 million guaranteed. Parsons is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones felt that trading Parsons was in the “best interest” of the organization. Jones made it clear he has no personal issues with Parsons after the contract situation became a public back-and-forth.

“Without being too broad, obviously, we did think it was in the best interest of our organization. Not only the future, but right now this season, as well,” Jones said. “We’ve gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in, on the inside of our defense. Let me go beyond your question. First of all, I want to tell you that I really like Micah. I appreciate the four years that we’ve had him here. He’s a great player. We are very appreciative of the fact that he’s a great player.

“There’s no question that I could have signed him in April. We all know that to have agreements, all parties have to agree. But this was by design. I did make Micah an offer. It wasn’t acceptable. And I honor the fact that it wasn’t done in the way that he wanted to do it through an agent. He was made an offer.”