The Green Bay Packers will travel to face the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and many are expecting it to be a revenge game for Micah Parsons. While many believe that Parsons will want to stick it to Jerry Jones and the franchise that refused to give him a big-money contract, the game may be just as important for the other player involved in the trade, Kenny Clark.
Clark’s world was probably flipped upside down when he was sent to Dallas along with two first-round draft picks in exchange for Parsons on Aug. 28. While Parsons and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer have already thrown their verbal hats into the ring ahead of Sunday’s game, Clark noted he has a lot of respect for the Packers but won’t hold back when the game kicks off.
“When it’s game time, I’m in the game,” Clark said via The Athletic’s Jon Machota on Wednesday. “If those guys want to come up, I ain’t seeking it out. It’s all love, and they know it’s all love. After the game or before the game, we can do that, but I ain’t seeking out for nothing. I’m trying to win the game. …I’m here to win. I’m gonna play my ass off and do everything I can for us to get a win.”
Packers Thrilled with Micah Parsons as Kenny Clark Prepares for Revenge Game
Clark’s comments are the type of mentality he had during his nine seasons with the Packers. A first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Clark suited up in 140 games for Green Bay, logging 417 total tackles, 51 tackles for loss, and 35 sacks during his time there. Clark was such a mainstay of the Packer defense; he also told Machota that he was shocked that he was the player involved in the Parsons trade, leading to his departure from the only NFL team he’s played for.
“That’s probably the most shocked I’ve ever been in my life,” Clark said via Machota. “Of course, I heard the rumors that the Packers were going to trade for Micah [Parsons] and all that stuff, but I never thought that it was gonna be me that was gonna be traded. It is what it is.”
Alas, Jones valued run defense over an elite pass rusher, and with two big contracts for CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott already on the books, the Cowboys decided to stockpile draft picks and send Parsons to Green Bay.
The Packers have been thrilled with their return as Parsons has 1.5 sacks and 15 total pressures in his first three games despite dealing with a back injury. Clark has also played well, posting a 73.7 overall grade with 10 total tackles and a sack in the first three weeks, but Dallas’s defense ranks toward the bottom of the league in points scored (92, 27th) and yards per play (6.5, 31st) without Parsons this season.
Of course, football is a business, and Clark’s words mean he will treat it as such. But while Parsons will have a shot at his revenge game, Clark will be looking at his when he sees his former team on Sunday night.