What a 2025 it’s been for Dallas & its sporting teams.
Just as I lay down to close my eyes on the first night of February, the ESPN chime rattled my phone. I picked it up to view my last notification of the night & was left speechless.
The Dallas Mavericks had done the unthinkable in trading five-time First Team All-NBA guard & reigning Western Conference Finals MVP Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around fellow First Teamer Anthony Davis.
I couldn’t believe it.
Kobe Bryant was the first player I paid attention to when I began my journey as a fan & he made me a lifer.
Even so, this didn’t feel real. Didn’t feel right.
Luka Doncic, the third overall pick in the 2018 draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who then traded his rights to Dallas essentially in exchange for Trae Young, had become synonymous with anything Mavericks. He was the face. He was the franchise. Now? He was being jettisoned in a move that has the fanbase in shambles to this very day.
Well Mavericks fans, I can now say I feel your pain.
On April 29th of 2021, the NFL Draft had arrived. The Green Room was brimming with young talent waiting to hear their name called & their lifelong dreams realized. At number 10 sat the Dallas Cowboys, a team who had almost 30 years in between them & their last Lombardi.
Who would they choose to aid them in ending that drought?
As the night began & picks were being made, Jerry & company saw their options take form. The NFC East group would trade down two spots in a move with Philadelphia that would net the Eagles the Heisman Trophy winning Alabama receiver DeVonta Smith.
Chicago would next take Justin Fields out of Ohio State.
Finally, with the 12th pick, in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Micah Parsons, linebacker, Penn State.
They felt they were getting a hyper-athletic sideline-to-sideline backer who could cover & rush the passer. What they didn’t know is they were getting a player who would debut as one of the scariest QB hunters in the league.
Parsons, dubbed “The Lion”, would rack up accolades & stats alike, compiling 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, 30 hits on opposing QBs, as well as earning Defensive Rookie of the Year, a Pro-Bowl berth, & a spot on the All-Pro First Team.
MICAH (not Michael) would make double digit sacks & All-Pro teams a yearly tradition as his passion for the game & his team combined with his talent day in & day out to help him lead Dallas’s defense to becoming one of the league’s best while setting himself on a Hall of Fame path.
Since entering the league, the Lion has played in 63 of 68 games, proving to be as durable as he is great. He’s produced 52.5 sacks, becoming only the 4th player since sacks became an official NFL statistic in 1982 to record double digit sacks in each of the first four seasons of his career, joining greats Reggie White, Derrick Thomas & Dwight Freeney. He’s a two-time First Team All Pro with one Second Team nod, a four-time Pro Bowler, & a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who absolutely WRECKS games & is just entering his prime.
*Exhales*
Sorry, it’s hard to catch your breath with a list of accolades as long as that.
So how did we get here?
How did I receive an alarm emoji filled notification from multiple apps that the SUPERstar I just got done describing had been traded to the Green Bay Packers?
How did I receive an alarm emoji filled notification from multiple apps that the SUPERstar I just got done describing had been immediately made the highest paid non-QB in NFL history by Green Bay, a team known to be quite tight with their cheese?
Unfortunately, the answer is easy.
The answer, is billionaire owner Jerry Jones.
Throughout the offseason, Jones has consistently thrown his weight around as the top decision maker in Big D, refusing to speak with Micah’s agent & iron out the details of the looming mega extension. He repeatedly disrespected Parsons, including consistently referring to him as Michael in front of every camera he could see over the bags under his eyes, knowing Parsons’ name is “Micah” & isn’t short for anything. He questioned Parsons’ durability, citing one of the “last major players he extended missing most of last year’s games”.
He folded his arms & drew a ridiculous & unnecessary line in the sand with arguably the team’s best player, a growing trend over the last few years that has included studs like Dak Prescott & most recently top wideout CeeDee Lamb.
If it was the price Jones was balking at, he could’ve paid Micah well before Myles Garrett & TJ Watt reset the market, maybe in the middle to upper $30 million per year range. Either way, it wouldn’t have been the 4-year, $188 million deal ($47m per year) with $136m being guaranteed he just inked with Green Bay. Parsons went to management early to discuss a potential deal, citing his desire to get ahead of being a Cowboy for life, but was rebuffed.
If it was the agent Jones was balking at, that’s standard practice & has been for a long time. That’s the reason athletes, celebrities & even everyday people hire agents & lawyers: to get them the best deal possible. So, no Jerry, while you may have gotten around this with players before, Micah wasn’t obligated to follow suit.
No matter the reason you could give as to why Jerry & the Cowboys went about this negotiation the way that they did, it’s inexcusable & further highlights issues in the employer-employee dynamic.
You as the employer have an employee who is consistently producing amazing numbers for you, is a wonderful ambassador of you & your brand, doesn’t find himself in the news for anything crime-related, & is beloved by coworkers & you have a hard time paying him his market value when the time comes?
It happens in the blue collar, 9-5 workforce. It happens in sports. It happens on production sets. It has to stop.
Micah, CONGRATULATIONS on receiving every cent you’ve earned & CONGRATULATIONS on being able to retire your mother, something most people on this planet can (and should) find admiration & respect for. Continue being great. Continue setting a great example for children in your hometown & around the world about work ethic, character & everything in between. Go a ring or three brother.
Jerry, you’re a master marketer & businessman. You’ve built this team into the most valuable sporting franchise on the planet. You know how to get engagement & attention for your brand. You’ve even made some great calls with the team around you in the draft, selecting Pro Bowl & All-Pro talent on a regular basis.
You blew this one.
Micah Parsons was supposed to be in training camp on the field. He should be suiting up with a star on his helmet come Week 1 versus the rival & defending champion Eagles. His jerseys should still be blue, white & silver. He should be a Cowboy lifer.
Instead, his prime will be played in Wisconsin. His jerseys will be green & yellow & may even feature a new number. He’ll be bringing his infectious attitude to Green Bay training camps year in & year out. He’ll be helping to solidify an NFC contender for years to come.
And the Dallas Cowboys organization don’t have anyone to thank but you.
Bravo, Mr Billionaire. Bravo.
