Micah Parsons has been traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster deal one week before the start of a new NFL season.

The defensive end will sign a four-year, $188m (£139m) contract with the Packers that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league’s history on $47m (£35m) a year, NFL Network reported.

The Cowboys will receive two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowler Kenny Clark as part of the deal.

The move ends a long-running contract dispute between Parsons and Dallas, which had escalated over the summer.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons said in a statement on X, confirming his move to the Packers.

“My heart has always been here, and it still is. Through it all, I never made any demands. I never asked for anything more than fairness. I only asked that the person I trust to negotiate my contract be part of the process.

“This is a sad day, but not a bitter one. I’ll never forget the joy of draft night, the adrenaline of running out of the tunnel, or the brotherhood I shared with my team-mates, coaches and the staff who prepared me for every single game. Those memories are mine forever.”

Parsons, 26, has earned four Pro Bowls and two All-Pro honours with the Cowboys since joining them in 2021 but he was entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract this season.

He had removed references to the Cowboys from his social media and released a statement earlier this month saying he “no longer wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys.”

The Packers will take on the Detroit Lions in their regular season opener at Lambeau Field on 7 September and face Dallas in week four.