Cowboys trade deadline deals: Time will tell if blow of trading Micah Parsons is softened after haul

FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys' decision to trade away 26-year-old, All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark will remain polarizing for years to come.

That's because the call for Dallas to do so was borne out of a mess of owner and general manager Jerry Jones' own making. Parsons has remained an elite player with the Packers through nine weeks, ranking 10th in the league in sacks (6.5) and fifth in the league in quarterback pressures (43) despite missing all of training camp while holding out for a new deal. The NFC North-leading Packers (5-2-1) also have been the NFL's fifth-best run defense (89.4 rushing yards per game allowed) this season despite Parsons' perceived weakness defending the run from Dallas' front office. 

However, evaluating the Parsons trade became much more nuanced at the 2025 NFL season's trade deadline on Tuesday with Jones using some of the return for Parsons to reel in New York Jets 27-year-old All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Jones sent a 2026 second-round pick, the better of the Cowboys' and Packers' 2027 first-round pick and 2023 first-round pick defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets in exchange for the services of Williams. His 40.0 career sacks are the third-most among 300-pound players since Williams entered the NFL as the third overall draft pick in 2019, and he's made the Pro Bowl the last three seasons. He can also help out against the run as his 13 runs stuffs for a loss or no gain are the second-most in the NFL this season, according to Next Gen Stats via NFL Research. 

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Garrett Podell

So what should the football world make of Dallas' decision to part with Parsons now that much of the return for him has been realized, save for who the Cowboys could pick with the Packers' 2026 first-round pick and what extensions they could do in the coming year or two? It's complicated.

"So, if you look at the initial trade with Micah, and now you look at what we've been able to do with it, it shows you, Jerry, Stephen [Jones], [vice president of player personnel] Will [McClay], and those guys are going to use the picks that we've gotten to get a guy like we did and feed him in here. It's great," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday. "But we're always going to be looking to continue to build the roster."

Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons trade net results

Acquired:

• All-Pro DT Quinnen Williams
• Pro Bowl DT Kenny Clark
• 2026 first-round pick (via Green Bay Packers)
• Additional cap space used for contract extensions for CB DaRon Bland, LG Tyler Smith, TE Jake Ferguson, FB Hunter Luepke and the potential for more down the road

Gave away:

• All-Pro DE Micah Parsons
• DT Mazi Smith
• 2026 second-round pick 

In a vacuum, acquiring a player like Williams, despite him turning 28-years-old in December, in tandem with Clark plus an extra first-round pick and cap space seems like decent value.

However, those feelings shift when factoring in Parsons joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only players with at least 12 sacks in their first four seasons during his first four years in Dallas. Also, the Cowboys' defensive expected points added (EPA) per play when Parsons was on the field was the best in the NFL from 2021 to 2024. When he was off the field in that same span, Dallas had the league's worst EPA per play, per CBS Sports Research.   

No defensive player in football was more valuable to their respective NFL team than Parsons was to the Cowboys from 2021 to 2024. It's also worth noting that while the players Dallas has added in exchange for Parsons are high-caliber players, none of them have ever produced at the levels he has in their NFL careers. The Cowboys could also have all their own draft picks back in their possession, Parsons and a decent amount of cap space if Jones re-signed Parsons before the wave of edge rusher re-signed with their respective teams last offseason drove the 26-year-old's market value and subsequent asking price up. 

The Cowboys have done a decent job making up for their mistakes with Parsons by proactively stockpiling established defensive talent in his place, but Dallas still doesn't have a true game-wrecker like Parsons. The Arizona Cardinals, the latest NFL team to leave a showdown with Dallas with their season-high in points scored after a 27-17 road win on "Monday Night Football" in Week 9, lost 27-23 to Parsons' Packers in their previous game played. Parsons was a big reason for that after racking up a career-high three sacks with the last two coming near the goal line and on the Cardinals' final drive in clutch spots. 

Unless Dallas can find an All-Pro-caliber defensive closer like Parsons, trading him away will remain a mistake when taking in the big picture perspective of his trade.