Former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons has found himself at the center of a fresh locker room debate in recent weeks. Now, one analyst is pushing back on the criticism of the Green Bay Packers pass rusher, arguing that the locker room of the Cowboys could be at fault.

Peter Bukowski, host of Locked on Packers, pointed to the environment around Parsons as the real reason behind his trade and contract standoff with the Cowboys.

“I won’t pretend to be hyper aware of everything that went on in Dallas the last few seasons, but my reaction based on a year of Micah Parsons in Green Bay is if he was a problem in the locker room, the locker room was the real issue, not Parsons,” he wrote on X on July 5.

While Bukowski believes that the locker room is one of the reasons for the trade, reports indicated that Parsons was not "well-liked" due to his behavior.

He was described as egotistical and self-centered, and someone who always plays out of structure to make big plays, during his stint with the Cowboys.

"That’s not the case with Parsons, who has rankled teammates in different ways, seen by some as egotistical and self-centered," Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote in his article back in August last year. "His podcast has created issues, too, that go all the way up to quarterback Dak Prescott."

His The Edge with Micah Parsons podcast was also one of the contributing reasons, as his teammates had issues with him being candid on a public platform.

According to Jeremy Fowler and Don Van Natta of ESPN, the team's insiders said his attitude during a preseason game with the Atlanta Falcons, where he was lying on a medical table, closing his eyes, was the tipping point for the Cowboys to trade Parsons.

He has recorded a total of 52.5 sacks, 256 tackles (172 solo), and nine passes defended across 63 games played and four seasons with the Cowboys.

The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers in exchange for two first-round picks (2026 and 2027) and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, due to failed contract negotiations and "hold-in" of Parsons before the 2025 season.

While Bukowski found the locker-room guilty, another analyst argued that Parsons' long-term availability concerns could also be part of the reason for his trade.

Cowboys may have moved on due to injury concerns

USA Today’s Stacey Mickles believes that the Cowboys traded Parsons because of his injury history, though he was one of the best pass rushers in the Cowboys' franchise.

"One reason the Cowboys traded Parsons was that he was injury-prone," the analyst wrote. "It [extending Parsons] didn't make any economic sense for the Cowboys, although one can argue they spent too much money on Dak Prescott, who is also injury-prone."

With Dallas, Parsons suffered an unspecified strain in the knee in 2021 and a pedal ankle sprain in 2024. Before being traded, he suffered a lower back sprain.

After getting traded, Parsons suffered an ACL tear during his Week 15 game against the Denver Broncos and is set to begin the 2026 season on the PUP list, missing games until Week 4.

What do you think the real reason is behind Dallas trading Parsons? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar