ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Micah Parsons says he has never needed extra motivation going into a football game. The star pass rusher insists that will be no different when his Green Bay Packers visit Dallas on Sunday night, exactly a month after the Cowboys traded Parsons in a blockbuster deal that ended a long and acrimonious stalemate over a contract extension.
“I just feel like my fuel’s always been trying to be the best player,” Parsons said. “When you’ve got a good team and you’ve got to beat them, you’ve got to show up in the prime-time games — that you’ve got to be your best player for yourself, for your team, and everyone there.”
Parsons has recorded 1.5 sacks for the Packers (2-1), while the Cowboys (1-2) have unsurprisingly been left with one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. Dallas also has the 32nd-ranked pass defense as it prepares to face Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love.
Earlier in the week, Parsons told The Associated Press it would be painful to sack his mentor, Dak Prescott. Surely, that pain will turn to glee if he manages to bring down the franchise quarterback.
“I hope it’s not [painful] for me,” Prescott said. “And I hope he doesn’t get me for one.”
It could be a painful day for Dallas fans who had urged owner Jerry Jones to pay Parsons as the contract issue lingered through training camp and preseason. The trade was contingent upon Parsons agreeing to a $188 million, four-year extension — a $47 million annual average, the highest ever for a non-quarterback in NFL history.
Jones said he believed he had a deal in place with Parsons at $40.5 million per season, which at the time would have made Parsons the first defensive player to surpass $40 million annually. According to Jones, the agreement came during a conversation between the two, and he never engaged Parsons’ agent despite the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year’s insistence that David Mulugheta be the final negotiator.
There will surely be plenty of Parsons’ No. 11 Cowboys jerseys at AT&T Stadium, including some doctored in protest against Jones. There will also be a fair share of No. 1 Packers jerseys, with many Green Bay fans anticipating a dominant win — the Packers are favored by a touchdown on the road, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Parsons is confident he will receive a warm reception in Dallas and isn’t bothered by Jones’ comment that a video tribute after four seasons with the club isn’t appropriate. Parsons was a two-time All-Pro during his time with the Cowboys.
“I think the world of Micah as an individual and, of course, know him well,” Jones said on his radio show during the week. “I might say, ‘Wish him well,’ except it’s obvious I don’t this weekend in terms of Green Bay winning the game.”
https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/micah-parsons-takes-center-stage-145913500.html
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