by: Alex Byington 35 minutes ago _AlexByington
Jason Garrett has been in first-year Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer ‘s shoes after 13 years as a member of the staff, including the last nine as its head coach. He knows all-too-well the challenges that comes with working under hands-on owner and general manager Jerry Jones .
But even Garrett, now entering his fourth NFL season on TV as a NBC Sports analyst, admits he was “shocked” by Dallas’ decision to trade two-time All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, exactly one week before the Cowboys kickoff the 2025 season on NBC’s Thursday Night Football against the reigning Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles .
“Oh, I was shocked! I was shocked. You know, the most important player on a football team is the quarterback. The second-most important player on a football team is a guy who can negatively affect the quarterback. And those guys are hard to come by,” Garrett told NBC Sports colleague Mike Florio. “And ever since that guy (Parsons) has come into the league, he has been a dominant player. You know, four years, 52 sacks, he and Reggie White being used in the same sentences.
“If you want to make the argument that hey, we’re in a rebuilding phase to give up this 26-year-old whose arguably the best defensive player in the league, I don’t agree with it. But OK, I’ve got it,” Garrett continued. “That’s where you think your program is. If for some reason you made this decision because it go emotional in the negotiation, and we’re mad at each other on both sides, boy that’s a shame.”
Former Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett shares his thoughts on the Micah Parsons trade. pic.twitter.com/ufAY8GCk8o
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) August 29, 2025
Garrett’s criticism to what has been speculated as the true reason behind Thursday’s seismic trade — namely Jones’ hurt feelings over his perception Parsons reneged on an alleged “handshake agreement” back in March, which Parsons says never happened — follows a string of public rebukes of Jones’ handling of the months-long and recently contentious contract dispute with Parsons and his agent.
It also highlights how unpopular the trade is among even the most diehard of Cowboys fans.