It had been speculated for days and when it finally happened nearly every fan of the Dallas Cowboys shared the same reaction: Really, Jerry Jones, WTF are you doing?
In case you were in a coma yesterday prior to the 4 p.m. bombshell hitting, the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons.
That was bad enough. But they shipped him off to the Green Bay Packers, a team that has tormented Dallas over the last decade.
That is so much worse.
And just when you thought it had gotten about as bad as it could get, the Jones boys said “Hold my beer”, held a presser, and proceeded to make all of it so much worse.
The Deal
The Cowboys shipped their best defensive player, and the reason why they even have a pass rush, off to a team that they will play at home in the fourth week of the season.
They got back in return two first round picks (2026, 2027) and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Given the Packers’ current talent level, those two picks are likely to fall between 24 and 32. That’s assuming Dallas doesn’t try to package them in future deals.
The Reason
A little less than three hours after the trade news broke, Jerry Jones and his son, Stephen, appeared before reporters at The Star to lie their heads off answer questions.
Jerry Jones began the presser with a 10-minute rambling answer to the first question. He repeated his story about making an offer to Parsons in person.
And he repeated his clear disdain for working with Parsons’ agent to finalize a deal.
Apparently, he’ll go to his grave insisting that Parsons’ agent is to blame for the Cowboys losing their best pass rusher since DeMarcus Ware.
Everyone else on the planet knows the blame is fully on Jerry Jones. The delusional takes didn’t end there.
Jerry Jones tried to compare this trade to the 1989 Herschel Walker trade.
In the trade with Green Bay, Dallas got one player and two draft picks in return. Here is the haul from the Walker trade:
- LB Jesse Solomon
- LB David Howard
- CB Issiac Holt
- DE Alex Stewart
- Minnesota’s 1st round pick in 1990
- Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 1990
- Minnesota’s 6th round pick in 1990
- Minnesota’s 1st round pick in 1991
- Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 1991
- Minnesota’s 1st round pick in 1992
- Minnesota’s 2nd round pick in 1992 (condition met by trading away Darrin Nelson to San Diego)
- Minnesota’s 3rd round pick in 1992 (conditional on cutting Stewart)
Three of the players the Cowboys drafted with some of the picks above you ask?
- Emmitt Smith
- Darren Woodson
- Russell Maryland
Three Super Bowl wins later, the Cowboys had clearly won that trade. This trade isn’t going to lead to a 6th title.
The late first round draft picks will likely be as poorly chosen as the pick wasted in 2023 for Mazi Smith, the starting DT that Clark will likely be replacing in next week’s season opener.
Clark will be playing in his 10th year and has two years left on his contract, just like Parsons did.
The Running Man
In the presser, Jerry Jones stated they had improved the run defense with the trade. At least he finally acknowledged what the rest of us have known for years.
Dallas’ run defense is abysmal.
It still will be after this trade.
Only now, its pass rush has been diminished. So now, assuming they even get that far, the Cowboys won’t be able to stop the opposing offense no matter what play they call.
The Reactions
Personally, my take is that it was a very bad deal. And I have a sinking feeling that the Cowboys’ front office will further bungle it in future deals.
If they somehow retain the extra picks, they’ll probably just blow them on reach picks. The reactions among most of the fan base and the media that covers the team aren’t that much more optimistic.
Around the draft, just before and after, the Cowboys made moves that indicated they would make a playoff push.
One week before the regular season kicks off, the Dallas Cowboys just flushed all hope of a playoff run down the toilet.
