“Exactly what I was scared of”: Michael Irvin blasts “stupid” Jerry Jones for trading Micah Parsons in stunning move to Packers

Dallas Cowboys fans are reeling from the news that Micah Parsons is departing. On his YouTube channel on Thursday, one of the team's most iconic receivers Michael Irvin expressed shock that Dallas owner Jerry Jones had traded the four-time Pro Bowl linebacker to the Green Bay Packers.

“This is exactly what I was scared and worried about,” Irvin said (timestamp: 2:07). “This isn’t about football. This was about personal emotions, and it just got to a boiling point."

Earlier this month, Parsons requested a trade after negotiations for an extension did not move in the direction he was hoping. Still, many people, including Parsons’ teammate CeeDee Lamb, expressed optimism that Jones and the linebacker would work out a deal. Instead, they sent him to the Packers, getting Kenny Clark and two first-round picks in exchange.

" I said I'd put everything on this Jerry is not that crazy and not that stupid, Irvin continued at 1:10.

“This no doubt hurts," said a dumbfounded Irvin. “I really wish that Micah would have taken control of this. I can’t imagine this is what he really wanted. I just cannot imagine that he really wanted to be leaving Dallas."

Even Parsons’ brother said this week that there was no way the linebacker would leave Dallas to join Green Bay. After the trade, Parsons got something he’d been wanting throughout the off-season: a massive contract, signing a four-year deal with the Packers for $188 million. That makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history with an annual salary of $47 million.

Micah Parsons is this generation’s Reggie White, according to NFL analyst

For now, it seems as though Dallas’ loss is Green Bay’s gain as Parsons joins a team that’s made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. It has been a while since Matt LaFleur’s group has had a player like Parsons, who has registered at least a dozen sacks in each of his NFL campaigns to date.

CBS Sports' Jeff Kerr gave the Packers an A+ on this trade, comparing Parsons to late defensive end Reggie White. White had double-digit sacks on 12 occasions, leading Green Bay to the Super Bowl in the 1996 season.

Last year, Green Bay was 13th in pressure rate (35.3%) and 10th in sack rate (7.4%). It’s believed that Parsons will significantly increase those numbers next season and create more takeaways for a team that finished in the top five in that category in 2024.

The Packers open the regular season on Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions.