Hear Jerry out: Why Cowboys trade for Micah Parsons might not be as bad as you think

You probably clicked on this article for one of two reasons: either out of a fit of rage at the mere thought of moving on from Micah Parsons being a positive for the Dallas Cowboys or to get a good laugh before the weekend. I get it. NFL teams should not be in the business of trading away generational players at one of the most important positions in the sport, especially as they are just entering their prime. It's borderline malpractice. But it happened.

Parsons is now a Green Bay Packer, and Jerry Jones has a bolstered collection of draft capital at his disposal. So, let's unpack this from the perspective of "America's Team" and try to tap into what may be its thinking in regards to this late-summer stunner. 

Before we dive in, let's once again highlight the deal itself. 

• Cowboys receive: 2026 first-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, DT Kenny Clark
• Packers receive: EDGE Micah Parsons

It's easy to look at a player like Parsons, arguably the best defender in the NFL, being shipped out of town and completely ignore what's coming back in the trade. The vast majority of folks have pointed toward Jones and laughed at this move, but it's not 100% of the NFL population. 

Here's what an anonymous AFC director of player personnel told CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz: "Two first-round picks over the next 2 years, and a disruptive DT! That's pretty damn good!"

Again, that NFL executive is in the minority, but there are people out there who see Dallas ultimately landing on its feet. With that in mind, let's go piece-by-piece on what the Cowboys got back and identify their potential thought process. 

Cowboys won't learn from the Micah Parsons debacle because Jerry Jones doesn't want to learn from it

Jared Dubin

The Kenny Clark piece

Sure, Clark, a three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle, will be a fine addition to Dallas' defensive line, but there's no denying the unit for 2025 got worse in the wake of Parsons' departure. Since 2021, the Cowboys defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL in EPA per play with Parsons on the field. With Parsons off the field, they are dead last in the league. Clark may help cushion the blow of losing Parsons a bit, but he plays an entirely different position, more on the interior of the defensive line, so it's not a one-for-one replacement. 

What they lose from a pass-rushing perspective, Jones, who said as much in his Thursday night presser after the trade, hopes to gain an edge at stopping the run with the arrival of Clark. Last season, the Cowboys surrendered 137.1 rushing yards per game (29th in the NFL), 4.8 yards per carry (30th), and 25 rushing touchdowns (32nd). Given how poor the run defense was, Clark should help some. How much? Well, Jones will need him to turn back the clock to earlier in his career, as he's registered subpar run defense grades over the last few seasons, per Pro Football Focus. Maybe that happens with a scheme change, going from Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. 

2026 and 2027 first-rounders

Really, this is a trade that will be judged by what Jones and the Cowboys do with those first-round picks. And that's where he gets interesting. Counting their own selections, Dallas possesses a total of four first-round picks over the next two drafts, both of which are currently viewed to be strong classes. Unlike some clubs in the NFL, the Cowboys should be particularly bullish on their ability to bring in blue-chip players with each of those picks. Since 2010, Cowboys first-round picks have combined for 40 Pro Bowl selections, which is the most in the NFL. 

As CBS Sports' Mike Renner highlights in his latest preview of the 2026 NFL Draft class, defensive end is projected to be one of the positions of strength next spring, which could give the Cowboys a lane to find a Parsons replacement. Meanwhile, the 2027 class has legit playmakers like receivers Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams set to come out. And then there's the tantalizing option of selecting a quarterback. Maybe someone like in-state phenom Arch Manning is suddenly within the range of possibility for the Cowboys now that they are armed with a treasure trove of draft picks to move around the board. 

Of course, that last note probably makes more sense in 2027 as Dak Prescott is still under his record-setting contract, but you get the point. These draft picks give the Cowboys more flexibility than any other team in the league over the next couple of years, and, if they continue pulling the right levers at the draft, they could come out the other end with a handful of foundational pieces for the next wave of the franchise. 

Financial pretzel

Parsons is someone who deserved to be paid a contract that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. There's no denying that. But the Cowboys can't pay everybody. Currently, they have Prescott under contract as the highest-paid player in the league, making $60 million annually, and wideout CeeDee Lamb comes in as the eighth-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at $34 million per year. Had they also inked Parsons to a record deal, that's a lot of capital stretched over just three players. Of course, there's an argument to be made to possibly not pay someone like Lamb and be a little more forward-thinking with Parsons in mind, but that's the reality Dallas found itself in this offseason with the star pass rusher. 

By moving him, the Cowboys did free up about $19 million in space and currently have the second-most cap space in the NFL at $42 million. They can spread that money around to either retain other pieces already on the roster or bring in talent to deepen different areas of the depth chart.

Conclusion

As we started this off by saying, you shouldn't be in the business of trading away players like Micah Parsons. That said, it did feel like these two sides crossed a point of no return in negotiations. Once they did that, a trade was inevitable, and the conversation suddenly shifted from finding a way to keep Parsons to finding the best return possible via trade. While Clark may be looked at as a bandage on a giant gash when it comes to the player-for-player return, it's all about the two first-rounders, and the Cowboys have proven that they can bat a high average in the top round of the draft. Those picks, coupled with their own pair of first-rounders, could spearhead the next era of Cowboys football, which may be more sustainable than the one they're currently in, to go along with a higher ceiling. 

Hey, it wouldn't be the first time a Dallas team traded away its generational player and somehow came out the other side relatively unscathed. Maybe the Jones family can call up Mavericks GM Nico Harrison for some pointers and/or try to have some of his luck sprinkle on them after landing Cooper Flagg at the NBA Draft.