Trading Micah Parsons is a bold move only a general manager who happens to be the team owner can make.
Parsons is a generational player, an elite talent in his prime. Quarterbacks fear facing the two-time All-Pro pass rusher. Offensive coordinators have sleepless nights thinking about ways to game-plan against him.
Parsons has been wreaking havoc in backfields since his rookie season in 2021. Any team would love to have a game-wrecker like him on their side.
Yet, the Dallas Cowboys were willing to send Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in a blockbuster trade Thursday following a lengthy, messy contract dispute.
Parsons, who was under contract this season, wanted a new deal to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history after T.J. Watt topped the money Myles Garrett received earlier this year.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was willing to make it happen except only on his terms. He negotiated directly with Parsons in April. Parsons wanted his agent, David Mulugheta, to finalize the deal. Jones didn’t want to restart the negotiations. Following a lengthy hold-in, Jones told Parsons to play under his current contract terms or go elsewhere.
So, he’s headed to the land of Lambeau and Lombardi, aiming to bring the Packers another Super Bowl title. And, Parsons got the money he wanted. A person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press the Packers are giving Parsons a record-setting $188 million contract that includes $136 million guaranteed. Jones said he offered Parsons more guaranteed money. The person, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the terms weren’t announced, said that wasn’t accurate.
The Cowboys get three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. Presumably, the picks will be late in the round because Green Bay, an 11-win team last season, should be even better with Parsons.
On the surface, the trade makes little sense for Dallas. But Jones is the general manager and the boss doesn’t have to answer to anyone.
The Cowboys could’ve forced Parsons to play for $24 million this season or sit out, though they probably wanted to avoid a bigger distraction. They could’ve waited to move him before the trade deadline or after the season to the highest bidder. Getting two first-round picks now doesn’t help Dallas in 2025 but Jones insisted Clark, who turns 30 in October, somehow makes the defense better.
“Our judgment, this gives us a better chance to be a better team than we have been the last few several years since Micah’s been here,” Jones said. “Not any negative on Micah, but we’re trying to get better, we’re trying to stop the run and stay in the hunt.”
Jones mentioned several times the team’s desire to improve its run defense in an attempt to justify the trade. He’s right. The Cowboys couldn’t stop the run with Parsons.
They were 29th against the run last season, 16th in 2023, 22nd in 2022 and 16th in Parsons’ rookie year.
Parsons is one of only two players in NFL history to record 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons. Reggie White is the other. The Packers signed White in free agency in 1993 and won a Super Bowl with the Hall of Fame defensive lineman in 1996.
The Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl in 30 years, and haven’t even reached the NFC championship game since that 1995 season.
Even with Parsons, they were only 1-3 in the playoffs. Parsons had just one sack in those four games. It was in a win over Tampa Bay and the last sack ever recorded on Tom Brady.
But football is a team game. Parsons can’t be solely blamed for Dallas’ playoff failures. Neither can Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys finished 7-10 last season when Prescott missed nine games and Parsons missed four. Brian Schottenheimer is the new coach and Matt Eberflus is the new defensive coordinator.
They could have a better record this season, which would make Jones right. The trade also frees up $19 million in salary cap space for this season, according to Spotrac.
It’s rare that trades of this magnitude work out for both teams. Jones was severely criticized when the Cowboys traded star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989.
But that trade ended up being a lopsided one that helped build Dallas’ 1990s dynasty. The Cowboys, with Jimmy Johnson leading the way, used the draft picks they received in that deal, including three first-rounders, to build the foundation for a team that won three Super Bowls.
Parsons could team up with Jordan Love and a young, loaded Packers team to bring one or more championships to Green Bay.
The Cowboys could turn those two first-round picks into key pieces that help them regain the glory days of America’s Team.
There’s an urgency to rush to judgment in a society that craves instant reactions so Jones and the Cowboys will be skewered for this trade.
But maybe, just maybe, there’s a possibility it could be a win-win for both teams.
Time will tell.
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