The Green Bay Packers are one of the Dallas Cowboys' biggest rivals right now. The Micah Parsons trade will have fans of America's Team rooting against Green Bay for the foreseeable future -- not that they weren't already -- and that worked out quite well this season.
The Packers completely collapsed after Parsons tore his ACL in December, crashing out of the playoffs in the Wild Card Round in historic fashion, which gifted Dallas the No. 20 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft.
Green Bay has some real soul-searching to do this offseason, and that got harder on Monday when defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley took the Dolphins head coaching job. It felt inevitable that Hafley would get a HC gig this cycle, but that's not what Parsons told Packers fans after the season.
Micah Parsons with a smile on Jeff Hafley: “He ain’t goin’ nowhere.”
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 12, 2026
Former Cowboys star Micah Parsons looks foolish after Jeff Hafley becomes Dolphins HC
Parsons is no stranger to making bold declarations to the media. However, when you all but guarantee that a coach will return, you'd better come through on that promise.
Even though Parsons only joined Green Bay in August, he’s already a massive draw for the fan base. He's that level of superstar. However, his sheer stature likely led many Packers fans to view Hafley as “safe” after he made that comment. That belief aged like milk when Hafley was hired away just over a week after the Packers’ season ended.
Parsons didn’t mean any harm by suggesting Hafley wasn’t going anywhere. He had been vocal about wanting the team to keep Hafley at all costs, and his reaction on X reflected that sentiment. “Genuinely happy for Haf! Great guy, great person! Gonna miss his energy!" Parsons wrote.
Parsons is exactly who he was with the Cowboys: He's passionate and says what's on his mind. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, sometimes it can get him into trouble.
The All-Pro pass rusher vehemently defended Trevon Diggs after he was waived by the Cowboys, even implying Dallas rushed him back from a torn ACL. The loyalty is understandable, as Parsons and Diggs were extremely close during their time in Dallas, but that extra layer was reckless.
While suggesting Hafley wasn’t leaving Green Bay and calling out Dallas after releasing his close friend aren’t the same thing, it still speaks to Parsons’ lack of a filter. It’s part of what makes him great, but it can also make him look a little silly from time to time.