Cowboys' Jerry Jones prioritizes ego by trading generational talent Micah Parsons to Packers

FRISCO, Texas --  Dallas Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones had enough losing when it came to contract negotiations with his star players. That's why All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons is now a Green Bay Packer. 

"If you are the one that owns [a team] and you look in the mirror, you've got to change," Jones said Thursday night. "So this was was very deliberate."

Jones' overarching approach to contract negotiations with his star players has long been a "deadlines make deals" approach, waiting until the very last second to pull the trigger. He's long cited his "high tolerance for ambiguity" as one of the reasons for that. Jones' tolerance in that arena clearly ran out. He lost prolonged talks with both three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott (re-signed on a four-year, $240 million extension) and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (re-signed on a four-year, $136 million extension) last offseason. 

It's clear Jones viewed trading Parsons as his way to win. The 26-year-old had been using "back tightness" as a way to not practice while holding in for a new deal. After Dallas cleared Parsons with an MRI and declared him medically cleared to practice on Tuesday, the 2021 first-rounder responded by reportedly seeking a second opinion. As Parsons said in his public trade request on Aug. 1, things clearly became personal for both sides -- despite Jones saying otherwise. 

"There's not an ounce of vindictiveness," Jones said. "There's no bad feelings on my part about the fact that we didn't come together on an agreement."

Jones' ego needing the victory will now cost the Dallas defense its engine. The Cowboys' defensive expected points added (EPA) per play when Parsons is on the field is the best in the NFL since 2021. When off the field in that same span, Dallas has the league's worst EPA per play, per CBS Sports Research. That data suggests Jones made the wrong move. Yes, the Cowboys defense ranked third-worst in the NFL in yards/carry allowed (4.8) and fourth-worst in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (137.1) in 2024. However, that's more of an indictment on 2023 first-round pick defensive tackle Mazi Smith not panning out than anything else. That's why the allure of three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark allowed Jones to see past the Packers ending the Cowboys' season three different times (2014, 2016 and 2023) in the last 10 years to make the trade.

"We have just decided it was in the best interest of our team … and we can win, in our minds, more than had we gone the other route and signed him," Jones said. 

Parsons is the NFL's first player since sacks became an individual statistic in 1982 to have 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons in the league. Hall of Famer Reggie White accomplished the feat in his first four seasons played, but not in the league. Parsons' 330 quarterback pressures since being drafted 12th overall in 2021 are also tied for the most in the league with Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to TruMedia. The All-Pro additionally paces the NFL with a 20.3% quarterback pressure rate (minimum 1,000 pass rushes) since 2021. 

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Dallas' new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will now have to rebuild his defensive scheme around Clark, who turns 30 years old on Oct. 4, while Parsons is off to become Reggie White 2.0 in Green Bay. Clark was once one of the NFL's more dominant run-stuffing defensive tackles, but Pro Football Focus graded Clark 43rd among interior defenders in their run defense grade (58.4) metric.  

"With Coach Schottenheimer and Coach Eberflus, talking about the defense and obviously getting a player like Kenny Clark is, in addition to the depth, is we can scheme pressure as well," Stephen Jones said Tuesday night. "Coach Eberflus has been really good that in terms of using scheme to get pressure on the quarterback, but what's tough to scheme is to stop the run."

Sure, the Cowboys now have the Packers' 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, but those selections will likely be late-round choices. Green Bay's 2023 and 2024 playoff teams were the two youngest rosters to reach the postseason in the last 45 years. Cowboys fans having to swallow the pill of being the only NFC team not to make the conference championship round in the 21st century just became a lot harder on Thursday. At least Jones can now say he didn't cave to Parsons' contract demands. That's a win in his book.