Blockbuster Parsons trade could alter futures of both Cowboys and Packers

The Dallas Cowboys are front and center in the NFL’s latest drama, which is usually how owner Jerry Jones likes it. This time, however, “America’s Team” may be on the wrong side of a deal that could change the league. 

A contract dispute between the Cowboys and their best player has become a divorce. All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons will be introduced Friday as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

One of the biggest NFL trades in recent memory was fairly straightforward. The Packers have acquired perhaps the most disruptive defensive player in the game. Parsons has 52.5 sacks in his four seasons in the league. In return, the Cowboys received veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark, a stalwart in the middle of the Packers’ defense since he was drafted in the first round in 2016. Dallas also gets the Packers’ first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027.

How will the trade change both teams?

Cowboys owner Jones believes his team can win without Parsons, but the trade leaves a big hole in his defense. 

With Parsons on the field in 2024, the Dallas defense was one of the best units in the league. When he missed four games with an injury, the Cowboys were statistically one of the worst.

Jones defended the trade by talking about the salary cap space the Cowboys will have and the players he can acquire with his newfound “draft capital.”

“Not only do we immediately get a player, but those draft picks could get us, I’m talking top, Pro Bowl-type players,” Jones said. “I’m talking could. You won’t necessarily get those players; you’ve got to draft them or acquire them. But they could get us as few as three or as many as five outstanding players.”

The trade put Green Bay in full “go-for-it” mode — but at a steep price.

Not only did the Packers give up two valuable first-round picks, but they also agreed to pay Parsons $188 million over four seasons, with $120 million of that fully guaranteed at signing. The deal makes Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

The Packers will welcome their newest star with a press conference on Friday afternoon, but general manager Brian Gutekunst was peppered with questions from the Green Bay media on Wednesday and hinted that they were one of the teams interested in Parsons.

“You’re never one player away, right?” Gutekunst said, “I never believe that. But good players make impacts, and so anytime you know there’s players of that caliber that you can acquire, you’re trying to.”

How will the Packers use Parsons?

The Packers already have a good pass rush; they were eighth in the NFL with 45 sacks in 2024. Parsons will line up in various places along the defensive front and attack where opponents are weakest.

His presence alone draws so much attention that it may elevate the play of everyone around him, and pairing him with Rashan Gary gives the Packers one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. Both players are in their prime and, along with star quarterback Jordan Love, are poised to challenge the best in the NFC for years to come.

Parsons is sure to talk more about his disagreements with Jones and the Cowboys during his press conference on Friday. But he posted a long goodbye to Cowboys fans on social media.

“I never wanted this chapter to end, but not everything was in my control,” Parsons wrote.  “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.”

It’s been a tough year for Dallas sports fans. This trade is as shocking as the Mavericks’ sending Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers eight months ago.

Now, fans have Sept. 28 now marked on their calendars. That’s when Parsons and his new Packer teammates will be in Dallas for “Sunday Night Football.”