Micah Parsons trade grades: Who won megadeal between Packers, Cowboys?
The Dallas Cowboys have traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Dallas is receiving DT Kenny Clark and two first-round picks from Green Bay.
Parsons will receive a four-year, $188 million deal from the Packers.
The Micah Parsons saga has reached an endpoint that might have seemed unfathomable just weeks ago.
On Thursday, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to trade the two-time All-Pro edge rusher to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons, meanwhile, will receive a four-year, $188 million contract that, in addition to making him the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing.
A massive exchange of resources figures to transform the NFC landscape immediately, with the Packers making an all-out move to reconfigure a flagging pass rush and a Cowboys team that has stubbornly resisted a rebuild now on uncertain ground. But who won the deal?
Let’s hand out grades for maybe the most consequential move of the NFL offseason:
Packers trade grade: A-
Typically, dealing away premium draft picks for highly paid veterans is bad business for NFL teams. Between the selections involved and the massive bill that will accompany Parsons to Wisconsin, the Packers are paying a price that would be prohibitive for almost any player in the league.
Except, of course, Parsons.
When it comes to one of the game’s most important tasks in rushing the passer, the three-time finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year is very nearly in a class all his own. Of course, he has never won the award that peers T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa all have claimed. But Parsons only turned 26 in May, and he’s the only player beyond late legendary pass rusher Reggie White to record at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons.
For that, it’s understandable why a Packers organization known for focusing on home-grown talent would take such a massive swing.
Jeff Hafley reinvigorated Green Bay’s defense in his first year at the helm, with his aggressive scheme generating big plays and helping the unit rank fifth in yards allowed and sixth in scoring. But with a pass rush win rate that ranked 26th in the NFL, the coordinator seemed to be staring at a ceiling. Parsons should be a force multiplier for Rashan Gary, who could feast in a complementary role, and the rest of the front that Hafley can count on to bring the heat.
Very few teams are actually one player away from Super Bowl contender status. But Parsons is the rare talent who might put the Packers over the top – or at least keep them at the front of a hypercompetitive first tier of NFC teams. And with an abundance of young talent, Green Bay could afford to take bold action.
Cowboys trade grade: D+
Well … that’s it?
The NFL offseason landscape was largely defined by cooler heads prevailing in heated negotiations, from Myles Garrett’s resolution with the Cleveland Browns to Terry McLaurin landing the long-term contract he sought from the Washington Commanders. Even perhaps the most acrimonious standoff of the summer was at least temporarily defused when Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals found a path forward for 2025.
Yet somehow Jerry Jones couldn’t manage to de-escalate the bargaining nightmare of his own creation.
The self-inflicted nature of this clash is the most damning aspect for Dallas. In his departure, Parsons said, ‘I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control. … 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.’
While contentious contract talks between stars and teams are nothing new, the Cowboys – in typical and unfortunate Jones fashion – took things to another level by repeatedly airing out grievances, particularly regarding agent David Mulugheta’s role in the talks. That didn’t sit well with Parsons, who on Aug. 1 cited ‘repeated shots’ as part of the reason he no longer wished to play for the team.
Parsons receiving his wish, however, seemed far-fetched until Thursday, when reports indicated the Cowboys were finally listening for deals. With their star pass rusher gone, what are the Cowboys for 2025 and beyond?
Jones has furiously resisted any notion of a rebuild, unwilling to give off the appearance that his team isn’t clawing its way to end a Super Bowl drought now standing at 30 years. Dallas already appeared to be wading in a sort of no-man’s land for Brian Schottenheimer’s debut season. Now, it’s firmly stuck there.
With Dak Prescott still claiming the title of the NFL’s highest-paid player thanks to a four-year, $240 million contract extension reached just last year, the Cowboys can’t blow things up. Jones, of course, would never accept that outcome. The acquisition of Clark would seem to reinforce the stubbornness from up top. Sure, there’s been a sizable void at nose tackle for some time. But how does inserting a player who will turn 30 in October move the needle for a defense that now has a massive hole on the edge? Good luck to defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who has never been known as a heavy blitzer but will have to concoct some innovative ways to generate pressure with what now looks to be a pretty suspect group.
The two first-round picks are nothing to sneeze at, but barring an injury to Jordan Love, the Packers likely are only turning over choices in the mid-20s. If Jones expects this trade to reboot his franchise, he’s very likely overconfident in his own personnel preferences.
Jones has pushed back on many of the emerging narratives about his priorities. In an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell, he discussed the franchise’s astronomical value and popularity by saying, ‘I explain it by hard work. I bust my ass. This exact same hard work that is going on in the football. I work my ass off.’
Maybe it’s not Jones’ effort that’s worth questioning. In this case – and many others – though, he’s hustling backward.