On August 28th, 2025, the Dallas Cowboys announced a deal with the Green Bay Packers to trade defensive end Micah Parsons for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks.
For Parsons, the deal worked out nicely, and he signed a $188 million contract over four years that made him the highest paid non-quarterback player in NFL history. However, there are question marks over the deal from a Cowboys perspective.
Was this the worst decision Jerry Jones has ever made?
The Details
Jones is not one to make a move like this and it stunned fans. Over the years, Jones has been known to keep top players at AT&T Stadium, even if negotiations dragged on.
If we go back to the Herschel Walker trade in 1989, Jones traded Walker in a deal that included four players, three first round picks, and three second round picks. Emmitt Smith was one of the key players to arrive in Dallas from that trade, and the team tasted great success in the early and mid 1990s.
The deal for Parsons doesn’t compare, but Jones will be hoping the arrival of Clark and two first round picks will lead to future success.
However, every popular sportsbook right now, such as FanDuel, give the Cowboys little chance of winning Super Bowl LX.
What also makes the trade surprising is the fact the Packers have been an issue for the Cowboys over the last decade, ending any chance of success for Dallas in 2014, 2016 and 2023.
An Unhappy Player?
Before assessing the decision to let Parsons leave, we must consider the fact that the player requested a trade at the beginning of August.
Parsons is never one to offer much positivity in terms of his body language, but it hit a new low during training camp practices and during preseason games.
At one point in a preseason game for the Cowboys, Parsons was spotted lying on a table with his eyes closed.
Parsons was not wearing his jersey and while Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer did not want to get into detail, the body language of his star player was there for all to see.
So, that leaves the question: do you want to try to keep an unhappy player?
Parsons could have been struggling with an injury, with back tightness as a potential issue. Even so, if there was any question of the player being unhappy in Dallas, was trading him such a big mistake?
When announcing his trade request, Parsons said he no longer wanted to play for the Dallas Cowboys, naming various issues during the elongated contract negotiations as prime reasons for him wanting to leave.
Packers Flying High
Having played 7 games in the 2025 NFL season, the Packers are sitting top of the NFC while the Cowboys are down in 10th place having recorded 3 wins from 8 games.
Parsons recorded three sacks in the Packers win over the Arizona Cardinals and had 6.5 sacks through his first seven games of the season, one of which came in the tie with the Cowboys.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys have allowed 1,168 rushing yards this season, with only the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals allowing more.
The Cowboys have also allowed 258.6 passing yards per game, which is the worst record this season.
So, Jerry Jones may point to a long-term strategy, but right now, failing to negotiate a contract and trading Parsons looks like a big mistake.
