Just because the Dallas Cowboys didn’t want NFL All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to play for them anymore didn’t mean they didn’t still want to have a say over his future — specifically when it came to having him ever play for their hated rival the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Cowboys included a “Poison Pill” clause when they traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in August that included language intended to block him from playing for the Eagles until at least 2027.
The Cowboys traded Parsons for Green Bay’s 2026 and 2027 first round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers immediately signed Parsons to a 4-year, $188 million contract extension that made him the highest paid defensive player in NFL history and included $136 million in guaranteed money.
“The previously unreported condition states that if the Packers decide to trade Parsons to a team in the NFC East division — the Eagles tried to trade for him last summer before being rebuffed — then Green Bay would owe Dallas its 2028 first-round draft pick, sources involved in the trade told ESPN,” Schefter wrote on Sunday, November 9. ” … League sources said these poison pill conditions clearly and smartly were put into place to block Parsons from winding up in Philadelphia, not far from where he grew up and one day wanted to play. The poison pill conditions apply to this season and 2026, according to sources, meaning the Packers don’t have a clear path to trade Parsons to another NFC East team until 2027 at the earliest..”
Parsons and the Packers face the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in a marquee Monday Night Football matchup in Week 10.
Blockbuster Trade After Contentious Summer
Trading Parsons to the Packers elevated them to becoming legitimate Super Bowl contenders and seems to have relegated the Cowboys to also-rans, and he leads the NFL in QB pressures and leads the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks.
Parsons is one of only 2 players in NFL history with at least 12.0 sacks in each of his first 4 seasons along with the late Reggie White, who started his career with the Eagles before leaving for the Packers in free agency.
The trade came after a summer in which Parsons and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went back and forth bickering publicly.
“ESPN Sources: Cowboys are trading three-time All-Pro LB Micah Packers to the Green Bay Packers,” Schefter wrote on his official X account on August 28. “Parsons and the Packers already have reached agreement on a four-year, $188 million contract. David Mulugheta of Athletes First had a hand in the trade and ultimately negotiating the record-breaking contract that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and makes Parsons the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.”
Parsons, 26 years old, was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and is a 3-time NFL All-Pro and 4-time Pro Bowler through the first 4 seasons.
The Cowboys are 3-6-1 and have the 31st ranked defense in the NFL.
“Thank you Dallas ….. GO Pack Go!” Parsons wrote on his official X account following the trade.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cowboys Blocked Eagles From $188M Edge Rusher With Secret Trade Clause appeared first on Heavy Sports.