THE HERD – Hour 1 – Micah Parsons Farewell

Date: August 29, 2025
Host: Jason McIntyre with Rachel Nichols (guest host; Colin Cowherd returns next week)
Guests: Jane Slater (NFL Network)
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd, iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

Episode Overview

This episode is dominated by the shocking NFL trade of star pass rusher Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers—a move described by both the hosts and guests as seismic, franchise-changing, and (for Cowboys fans) heartbreaking. Jason and Rachel analyze every angle: the massive boost to the Packers’ championship window, the financial and planning failures in Dallas, the inside story of locker room dynamics, and the questions around the modern athlete’s priorities. Jane Slater, Cowboys insider, provides detailed sourcing on the leadup to the trade, why it happened now, and what it means for both teams.

Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Micah Parsons to the Packers – A Franchise-Altering Move

Start time: 03:08

The Gravity of the Trade

• Jason opens:

  “Let’s start with the Green Bay Packers basically putting on ski masks, going into Dallas and stealing Micah Parsons from the Cowboys for peanuts. I cannot believe that this trade happened.” — Jason McIntyre [03:08]

• Jason compares this trade’s magnitude to past NFL blockbusters:

  • "This move going from Dallas to Green Bay, I believe is bigger than the Matt Stafford trade… Micah Parsons is in his prime… It's seismic." [04:05]
  • Parsons' resume: Defensive Rookie of the Year runner-up, 3x All-Pro, 12+ sacks every year.
  • Already being compared with Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White, Myles Garrett after just 4 seasons.
  • “It’s not hyperbole to say Micah Parsons is already on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after four seasons.” [05:00]

The Packers’ Perspective

• This signals a shift in Green Bay's philosophy—breaking their usual aversion to splashy trades.

  • Jason: “Packers, they’re not going to get Micah Parsons. They don’t do that… Once again, the Packers break character.” [08:50]

• "This puts them in the serious Super Bowl consideration" — Packers’ odds jump from +2200 to +1200 post-trade. [07:30]

• Draft context: Packers surprisingly took WR Matthew Golden in the 1st round, another sign of Green Bay’s willingness to change. [07:45]

• Prediction: "The Green Bay Packers probably will be in the NFC championship game... likely against the San Francisco 49ers—and then we get the Trent Williams matchup against Micah Parsons." [09:28]

Notable Quote

“Micah Parsons, again, I know he takes a lot of heat for inside the locker room stuff… But let me just remind folks… It’s not hyperbole to say Micah Parsons is already on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after four seasons.” — Jason McIntyre [05:00]

2. The Cowboys’ Catastrophe – Management Meltdown and Emotional Decision-Making

Start time: 10:47

Front Office Failures

• Jason lambasts Jerry Jones for failing to manage contracts proactively:

  • Should have moved Parsons a year ago; waited too long and lost leverage.

• "He bungled this so badly, folks. Paying Dak and Lamb and knowing you can't pay Micah—like, you should have done this last year." [14:35]

• Rachel Nichols:

  “Every single person we had on, including Greg Jennings, was like, Green Bay doesn't do business this way.” [15:23]

• Example of poor planning: The Cowboys didn’t address their need to stop the run until pick 217 in the draft—despite now justifying the trade as run-stopping related. [12:20]

Jerry Jones’ Public Statements and "Gaslighting"

• Jerry Jones, after the trade:

  "We did think it was in the best interest of our organization… We've gained a Pro Bowl player in an area where we had big concern… We need to stop the run." [11:49]

• Jason (reacting sarcastically):
  "Boy, if I was allowed to use expletives on the show, I would have come out of that quote and said, what the are you talking about?" [12:20]

• Track record of questionable trades: Mingo (WR) and Trey Lance—both cost draft capital, little return. [13:20]

Long-term Dysfunction and Emotional Ownership

• Jason:

  "Does this guy even know what he's doing? ... If Jerry Jones wore his shirt inside out to the facility today, would anyone have the cojones to tell him?" [13:50]

Notable Quote

“Amateurs act on emotion. Pros, they look at the numbers… Jerry, you bungled this badly.” — Jason McIntyre [11:00]

3. Fallout in Dallas — Losing Not Just Parsons, but Hope

Start time: 20:39

• Rachel recalls: Dallas has lost two generational stars in just months: Luka Doncic (Mavs to Lakers in NBA shocker) and now Parsons.

• "The parallels here are staggering… both of these guys are first-ballot Hall of Famers. Both were traded." — Jason [22:38]

• McIntyre’s take: “It feels like… Charlie Brown whiffing at the football. You lose Luka, you lose Micah. How does it—how on earth does Dallas trade two transcendent superstars?” [21:55]

• Locker room issues with Parsons foreshadowed by his social media habits and podcasting; some public beefs (such as with DeMarcus Lawrence). [24:00]

• Discussion: Is this a generational athlete thing? Is Jerry fundamentally unable to handle modern player brands?

4. Cap Space, Contract Mismanagement, and Financial Consequences

Start time: 28:54

• Rachel details the tangible costs of management inaction, referencing Bill Barnwell’s ESPN analysis:

  • Had they extended Dak when first possible: $49M saved.
  • Had they extended CeeDee Lamb: $14M saved.
  • Had they extended Parsons last year: $36M saved.
  • “All adds up to about $99 million you could have been paying other players.” — Rachel [29:43]

• Additional blunder: Trading Parsons late in the process reduced the return. “If you had put him up for trade in the spring… the Packers would have been forced to give you more.” [30:16]

• Jason: “It’s just bad business. Right. There’s no way around that.” [30:42]

5. Locker Room Dynamics, Modern Athletes, and How It Fell Apart

Guest: Jane Slater (NFL Network) Start time: 40:05

Why Now? Why This Messy?

• Jane Slater reveals the internal timeline:

  • “Within the last 72 hours, this was really the only direction [Cowboys] could go. It got so messy.” [40:15]
  • Multiple locker room voices and former coaching staff raised concerns about Parsons' focus: “Does he love football, or does he love the idea of being a football player?” [41:45]
  • Criticism centered not on criminal or character issues, but meeting inattentiveness, a need for constant stimulation, and being more interested in media/social media/podcasting than football details.

• Jerry Jones was rigid in contract talks:

  • “The way that Jerry held his feet to the fire… [Parsons] got in a little over his skis here.” [42:38]
  • Should have done the deal months ago; clumsy handling shed value for Dallas.

Notable Quotes

• “There were a number of players who came to [previous coaching staff] and said, ‘We have to do something about Micah.’” — Jane Slater [41:58]
• “I always kind of looked at it as, ah, you know, it’s differing opinions. There are big personalities in Dallas. I never thought it rose to the, ‘We’ve got a cancer in the locker room.’ That’s not how I would describe Micah. And so if those [negative] pieces come out, I don’t think that would be fair.” — Jane Slater [49:50]

Modern Athlete Perspective

• Parsons' passion for football is legitimate, but the “modern young athlete” is used to branding, podcasts, NIL money, and grinding attention on social media.
  • “If I'm Micah Parsons, I'm frustrated. You know, there's plenty of guys in my draft class that have gotten extensions. I am a generational type player. Other pass rushers got their money, and I think he just felt… manipulated and taken advantage of at some point.” — Jane Slater [47:51]

6. Looking Ahead: What This Means and What’s Next

• Key matchups made better by the trade:

  • Week 4: Parsons and the Packers visit Dallas — Sunday Night Football [26:45]
  • Week 6: Packers host Bengals [26:24]
  • Week 17: Packers vs. Ravens — likely a primetime game [28:23]

• Immediate playoff/Super Bowl odds impact:

  • Packers now a top-tier Super Bowl contender.
  • Cowboys odds plummet – “60 to 1, longest since 2014.” [13:50]

Notable and Memorable Quotes (with timestamps and attribution)

• "It’s not hyperbole to say Micah Parsons is already on track to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after four seasons." — Jason McIntyre [05:00]
• “Amateurs act on emotion. Pros, they look at the numbers… Jerry, you bungled this badly.” — Jason McIntyre [11:00]
• "This trade puts [the Packers] in the serious Super Bowl consideration… I mean, I don't think people realize just how good Micah Parsons is." — Jason McIntyre [04:00]
• “If you don't have a plan, plan to fail. Yeah. And it feels like Jerry did not have a plan. He was just kind of winging it.” — Jason McIntyre [32:33]
• "There were a number of players who came to them and said, ’We have to do something about Micah.’…I never thought it rose to 'We've got a cancer in the locker room.' That’s not how I would describe Micah." — Jane Slater [41:58, 49:50]
• “Does this guy even know what he’s doing?” — Jason McIntyre [13:20]
• "In talking to previous coaching staffs in exit interviews, there were a number of players who came to them and said, we have to do something about Micah." — Jane Slater [41:58]
• “I don’t feel the need to be sold by Jerry Jones on why they traded him... What he has to sell me on and what he still has to sell a lot of us covering the beat in that locker room is why they did it the week before the season started.” — Jane Slater [40:15]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:08] — Packers “steal” Parsons, why it’s a historic trade
• [07:30] — Packers' Super Bowl odds, context from the draft
• [10:47] — Turning to Dallas: How Jerry Jones fumbled the situation
• [11:49] — Jerry Jones’ first public statement post-trade
• [15:13] — Rachel Nichols on NFL insiders and the “unbelievable” trade
• [20:39] — Dallas’ disastrous year: Luka Doncic parallels
• [24:00] — Locker room drama & athlete branding in Dallas
• [28:54] — Rachel on the cost of management missteps (ESPN/Barnwell analysis)
• [32:33] — Planning, or lack thereof, by the Cowboys
• [40:05] — Jane Slater details the inside story of the trade, locker room, and Parsons’ personality
• [49:50] — Jane Slater: The media fallout and not “cancerous” but “big personalities”

Episode Summary

The Packers have instantly transformed themselves into a Super Bowl favorite by acquiring one of the NFL’s most dominant defenders, Micah Parsons, from the Dallas Cowboys—a move so out of character for both franchises, it dominated the entire show. Jason McIntyre and Rachel Nichols break down the deal from every viewpoint: Green Bay’s opportunistic aggression, Dallas’ front office calamity, and the broader trends of how modern superstar athletes are changing locker rooms and contract negotiations. NFL Network’s Jane Slater provides the inside scoop on the simmering locker room tension and mismanagement that led Dallas to make the move just before the season opened, despite months of warning signs. The episode brims with sharp analysis (“Amateurs act on emotion. Pros, they look at the numbers… Jerry, you bungled this badly.”), memorable analogies, and a palpable sense of shock at the fallout in Dallas.