The Dallas Cowboys knew this day would come. They knew that, when they traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, their Week 4 matchup would be their own version of the Dallas Mavericks' April 9th game against the Lakers.

Maybe it won’t be quite that emotionally charged. The Mavs traded Luka Doncic out of nowhere in the dead of night. With Parsons, there were at least rumblings that he was unhappy, so much so that he requested a trade. 

That request of course was viewed more as a negotiation tactic though, akin to what Myles Garrett did earlier in the offseason during his own contract saga. After all, you don’t trade a generational player at a key position at age 26. 

But Jerry Jones has long danced to the beat of his own drum, even then playing a different instrument entirely at times. Thus, here we are, writing what is likely the umpteenth article in this vein. 

For what it’s worth, Jones seems relatively unbothered by Parsons’ return. So much so that he’s not even going to have a tribute video for the player that recorded at least 12 sacks for the Cowboys in his first four years, a feat that he was only the second player to ever achieve in the NFL. 

From an on-field perspective, emotions will likely be high on both ends regardless of Parsons. Dallas is fighting for their season already, desperately trying to avoid a 1-3 start after being embarrassed by the Bears in Week 3. 

Meanwhile, the Packers are eager to prove that they’re more the team that looked like Super Bowl favorites after two weeks and less the team that looked hapless in Cleveland in Week 3. A struggling Cowboys defense could be just what they need to get right on offense. 

Even still, while the on-field product will be both intriguing and telling for both teams, the main storyline will undoubtedly be about the return of number one in green and gold, a descriptor that Dallas fans might still recoil at. 

But, in the end, isn’t that what Jerry wanted? He wanted the league talking about his team, about his brand, about him. He seemingly got his wish. 

That wish was granted in a fashion more in line with a monkey paw than the friendly genies of lore. Alas, a wish granted is a wish granted. For the sake of Cowboys fans, here’s hoping that the team has a little more magic left in them on Sunday.