Packers star move rusher Micah Parsons will line up Monday evening in opposition to the Eagles. The Cowboys went out of their manner final summer season to make sure Parsons wouldn’t play for the division-rival Eagles — a minimum of not anytime quickly.
Unbeknownst to everybody besides the few who crafted the August blockbuster commerce that despatched Parsons from Dallas to Inexperienced Bay was a “poison capsule” situation that, in response to sources concerned with the deal, prevents the two-time All-Professional from taking part in for Philadelphia within the rapid future.
The beforehand unreported situation states that if the Packers determine to commerce Parsons to a crew within the NFC East — the Eagles tried to commerce for him final summer season earlier than being rebuffed — then Inexperienced Bay would owe Dallas its 2028 first-round draft decide, sources concerned within the commerce advised ESPN.
The poison capsule situation additionally was used on Kenny Clark, the opposite participant concerned within the commerce, in response to sources. If the Cowboys commerce Clark to a crew within the NFC North, they’d owe the Packers their 2028 first-round decide.
League sources mentioned these poison capsule situations clearly and well have been put into place to dam Parsons from winding up in Philadelphia, not removed from the place he grew up and someday needed to play. The poison capsule situations apply to this season and 2026, in response to sources, which means the Packers do not have a transparent path to commerce Parsons to a different NFC East crew till 2027 on the earliest.
The Packers deployed a poison capsule in a commerce earlier than — attempting to dam Brett Favre from going to the Minnesota Vikings.
In August 2008, when the Packers traded Favre to the New York Jets, they included a provision within the language of these commerce papers that mentioned if the Jets then traded Favre to an NFC North rival — such because the Vikings, who needed the three-time MVP quarterback — then the Jets would owe the Packers three first-round picks.
The Packers and Cowboys clearly remembered the supply within the Favre deal and opted to incorporate it within the Parsons-Clark commerce this previous summer season, solely nobody mentioned it publicly.
However different groups seen that within the NFL’s database which tracks groups’ draft picks that there have been situations connected to the Cowboys’ and Packers’ 2028 first-round picks that prevented them from being traded.
The problem bought much more consideration final week, when the Cowboys traded their 2026 second-round decide and 2027 first-round decide, together with defensive sort out Mazi Smith, to the Jets in change for three-time Professional Bowl defensive sort out Quinnen Williams.
In that and another deal, the Cowboys have been prohibited from buying and selling their 2028 first-round decide that league sources seen had situations connected to it and was off limits. The Packers’ 2028 first-round decide additionally was off limits, and sources concerned within the deal acknowledged there have been situations that, till now, had not surfaced.
Within the unlikely occasion that Inexperienced Bay determined it needed to half methods with Parsons and ship him to Philadelphia, there must be sufficient compensation concerned to make up for the Packers’ lack of their 2028 first-round decide. No one expects that to occur, however one supply spelled out the way it may, explaining that the Eagles must give up vital draft capital within the extremely unlikely state of affairs of a Parsons commerce.
Parsons, 26, has 6.5 sacks in eight video games this season and has energized a Packers crew that enters Sunday ranked fifth within the NFL in whole protection.
Sources advised ESPN earlier this yr that the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Eagles made a robust push to amass Parsons, however the Cowboys had little interest in buying and selling the four-time Professional Bowler inside their very own division — particularly to one among their largest rivals.
After months of failed negotiations on a long-term contract, the Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers, who then signed him to a record-breaking four-year, $188 million deal that included $120 million absolutely assured at signing and $136 million in whole ensures.
A commerce to the Eagles additionally would have been a homecoming of kinds for Parsons, who was born and grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and was a school celebrity at Penn State.
And now, because the Packers (5-2-1) and Eagles (6-2) put together to play Monday evening, Parsons will line up in opposition to the crew that he has been blocked from going to till after the 2026 season — ought to Inexperienced Bay ever determine it desires to half methods with him.