Seeing a star player change teams, especially when it comes in the same conference, is like going through a bad breakup. You'll try to understand what went wrong before your thoughts start playing tricks on you, and you begin believing things that were never the case just to ease your own mind.
This is the stage where Dallas Cowboys fans find themselves following this week's blockbuster trade made by the Green Bay Packers for All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons. After Jerry Jones failed to get a new deal done with Parsons, the Cowboys traded him to the Packers for what will likely be a pair of late first-round picks and aging defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Naturally, fans in Texas were not pleased with this outcome, but rather than taking their frustrations out on Jones, they're now creating false narratives about Green Bay's newest star defender.
Packers LB Micah Parsons Ends Cowboys Fans' Criticism at Intro Presser
For a guy who didn't seem to care about football, according to some fans in Dallas, the newest addition to the Packers' defense seems to be pretty excited about getting on the field and contributing to Green Bay's success as early as their Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
“Physically, I’m great,” Parsons stated when addressing his reported back issues, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I think I can contribute a lot,” Parsons said. “I’m going to team up with the doctors in creating a plan. We already talked about how we can ramp things up and get me into a flow where they feel comfortable and I feel comfortable. … They didn’t give up what they gave up for me to sit on the sidelines and make this big of a risk and change for me to do that, so I’m going to give them my all.”
Again, despite being torched on social media by Cowboys fans suggesting that he isn't worth the money the Packers gave him, Parsons sounds like he is raring to go. Given how difficult the NFC North is shaping up to be this coming season, having Parsons in the lineup and ready to go next weekend when the Lions come to town would be a major boost for a franchise that is already riding high at the moment.
Adding a player who has 52.5 career sacks in his first four seasons as a pro is the type of move a franchise makes when they believe their window to win a championship is open. If Parsons ultimately helps bring another Vince Lombardi trophy to Lambeau Field, there won't be a single football fan in the state of Wisconsin who will think the trade wasn't worth it.
Regardless of how things play out in Green Bay over the next five years, watching Cowboys fans go through all the emotions in four weeks when Parsons takes the field at AT&T Stadium wearing the Packers' green and yellow will be almost as entertaining as the All-Pro linebacker leading Green Bay to victory over their longtime NFC rival.
Parsons should have all the motivation in the world to do just that after how things played out for him in Dallas.