‘He Just Wanted Respect’: Micah Parsons’ Brother Opens up About ‘Sickening Part’ of Blockbuster Trade

The brother of former Cowboy and brand new Packer, Micah Parsons, says that the breakdown in the relationship between his sibling and the Cowboys came down to one word: Respect.

The Dallas Cowboys shocked the sports world on Thursday by trading Parsons, a two-time All-Pro considered by many to be the best overall player in the NFL, to the Packers, for two 1st round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The trade comes at the end of a tumultuous offseason, which saw increasingly personal shots fired between Parsons and Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones, as well as executive vice president and CEO Stephen Jones.

According to Parsons’ brother, Terrence, the breakdown was due to a lack of respect.

“This isn’t even what Micah wanted is the sickening part of all this he just wanted respect in the negotiation process and [Cowboys owner] Jerry [Jones] wouldn’t give it sad year for Dallas Micah and Luka [Doncic],” Terrence Parsons Jr. wrote on X, in reference to the blockbuster deal that sent Mavericks star Luka Doncic to the Lakers earlier this year.

The war of words between Parsons and Jones began early in training camp, when Jones publicly criticized Parsons over his injury history and the difficulties it could pose for the negotiation process. However, speaking of the negotiation process, the real rub came when Jones and Parsons discussed his contract extension one-on-one. While Parsons says he never felt that the discussion was a formal negotiation, Jones apparently thought that the extension was a done deal and declined to meet with Parsons’ agent to discuss it further.

That didn’t go over well with the Parsons camp.

“In March, I met with Mr. Jones to talk about leadership,” Parsons said of the meeting earlier this month after requesting a trade. “Somehow the conversation turned into him talking contract with me. Yes I engaged in a back and forth in regards to what I wanted from my contract, but at no point did I believe this was supposed to be a formal negotiation and I informed Mr. Jones afterward my agent would reach out thinking this would get things done.

“But when my agent reached out and spoke to [ESPN’s] Adam [Schefter], he was told the deal was pretty much already done. My agent, of course, told him that wasn’t the case and also reached out to Stephen Jones. Again, the team decided to go silent.”

Relations deteriorated to the point where the Cowboys began listening to trade offers and eventually agreed to send their best player to Green Bay, where Parsons found the massive contract he was seeking—a four-year, $188 million contract worth $120 million guaranteed.

Still, Parsons sought to make it clear that none of this was what he wanted.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote on social media. “My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.”

Parsons will make his return to Dallas as a Packer on September 28, when Dallas hosts Green Bay for Sunday Night Football.