Micah Parsons takes center stage as his Packers visit the Cowboys a month after trade

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Micah Parsons didn't have a sack on his first series facing the Cowboys in the stadium he called home his first four NFL seasons. The star rusher didn't get an opportunity because Dallas went three-and-out without attempting a pass.

Parsons was on the other side with the Green Bay Packers visiting Dallas on Sunday night, exactly a month after the Cowboys unloaded Parsons in a blockbuster trade that ended a long and acrimonious stalemate over a contract extension.

“I just feel like my fuel’s always been trying to be the best player,” Parsons said early in the week leading up to the game. “When you’ve got a good team and you’ve got to beat them, you’ve got to show up in the prime-time games, that you’ve got to be your best player for yourself, for your team and everyone there.”

Parsons came into the game with 1 1/2 sacks for the Packers (2-1), while the Cowboys (1-2) not surprisingly have been left with one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. Dallas also had the 32nd-ranked pass defense, and on the game's opening drive gave up a 46-yard pass from Jordan Love to Matthew Golden to convert third-and-9, and then a 2-yard TD catch by Romeo Doubs.

Parsons told The Associated Press at the start of the week that it would be “painful” to sack his mentor, Dak Prescott. Surely the pain will turn to glee if he does get the franchise quarterback on the ground.

“I hope it's not (painful) for me,” Prescott said. “And I hope he doesn't get me for one.”

It could be a painful day for Dallas fans who tried to implore owner Jerry Jones to pay Parsons as the contract issue lingered through training camp and the preseason.

The trade was contingent upon Parsons agreeing to a $188 million, four-year extension. That $47 million annual average is the highest for a non-quarterback in league history.

Jones said he believed he had a deal in place with Parsons at $40.5 million per season, which at the time would have made Parsons the first defensive player to surpass $40 million annually.

The agreement came in a conversation between the two, and Jones never engaged Parsons' agent despite the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year's insistence that David Mulugheta be his final negotiator.

There were plenty of Parsons' No. 11 Cowboys jerseys at AT&T Stadium, even a few doctored in some form of protest against Jones.

There were also a lot of No. 1 Packers jerseys, and plenty of Green Bay fans anticipating a lopsided win with the Packers favored by a touchdown on the road, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. There were loud “Go Pack Go!” chants before the game.