Green Bay Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons is set to take the field Monday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, but there’s an intriguing twist behind the scenes — one that ensures he won’t be joining them anytime soon.
Over the summer, the Dallas Cowboys quietly inserted a “poison pill” clause into the blockbuster trade that sent Parsons to Green Bay, effectively blocking any future move that could land the two-time All-Pro linebacker with their division rival, the Eagles.
According to multiple sources familiar with the deal, the secret provision states that if the Packers were to trade Parsons to any NFC East team — including the Eagles — Green Bay would owe Dallas its 2028 first-round draft pick.
The same condition reportedly applies to defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who was also part of the August trade. In Clark’s case, if Dallas were to send him to a team in the NFC North, the Cowboys would owe Green Bay their 2028 first-round pick.
League insiders told ESPN the unusual “poison pill” clauses were clearly designed to prevent Parsons from ending up in Philadelphia, not far from where he grew up and once hoped to play. The conditions remain in effect through the 2026 season, meaning Green Bay cannot trade Parsons to another NFC East team until 2027 at the earliest.
This isn’t the first time the Packers have used such a tactic. Back in 2008, when Green Bay traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets, the deal included a clause stating that if the Jets moved Favre to any NFC North rival — like the Minnesota Vikings — they would owe the Packers three first-round picks.
Sources say both the Packers and Cowboys took note of that past precedent when finalizing this summer’s Parsons-Clark deal. The provision went unmentioned publicly, but other NFL front offices reportedly spotted something unusual: in the league’s draft-pick database, both teams’ 2028 first-round selections were marked with conditions, making them ineligible for trade.
The issue gained even more attention recently when Dallas traded its 2026 second-round and 2027 first-round picks — plus defensive tackle Mazi Smith — to the New York Jets for Pro Bowl lineman Quinnen Williams. League observers noticed that the Cowboys’ 2028 first-rounder was “off-limits,” prompting renewed curiosity about what restrictions might exist.
Now, with details finally emerging, it’s clear: the Cowboys and Packers went to great lengths to keep Micah Parsons far away from Philadelphia, at least for the foreseeable future.
If the Green Bay Packers ever decided to part ways with Micah Parsons and send him to the Philadelphia Eagles, it would take an enormous return to make it happen. Because of the “poison pill” clause attached to his trade from Dallas, Green Bay would lose its 2028 first-round pick if Parsons were dealt to any NFC East team — meaning the Eagles would have to offer massive draft compensation to even make such a deal feasible.
While no one around the league expects that scenario to unfold, one source told ESPN that Philadelphia would need to surrender “significant draft capital” to offset the potential penalty.
At 26 years old, Parsons has been dominant this season, recording 6.5 sacks in eight games and bringing a jolt of energy to a Packers defense that currently ranks fifth in the NFL in total defense.
Earlier this year, sources revealed that the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles made a strong push to acquire Parsons. However, the Dallas Cowboys refused to trade the four-time Pro Bowler within their own division — particularly to a fierce rival like Philadelphia.
After long and unsuccessful contract negotiations, Dallas eventually sent Parsons to Green Bay, where he signed a record-setting four-year, $188 million contract, including $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees.
A trade to Philadelphia would have been a homecoming for Parsons, who was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and became a college standout at Penn State.
Now, as the Packers (5-2-1) prepare to face the Eagles (6-2) on Monday night, Parsons will line up against the very team he’s effectively barred from joining until after the 2026 season — unless Green Bay somehow finds a way to make the numbers work.
