Sep 26, 2024; East Rutherford, NJ, US; Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy walks into the locker room at halftime at MetLife Stadium. Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mike McCarthy weighs in on Micah Parsons for Kenny Clark trade in extensive interview

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Nikki Chavanelle | Last updated Sep 27, 2025 12:27 PM ET

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy did not see the Micah Parsons trade coming. In fact, in the weeks leading up to the trade, he heard that Jerry Jones and Parsons were going to get a deal worked out.

A deal never materialized, however, and now, Parsons is in Green Bay – McCarthy's former home – and Kenny Clark, one of the former Packers coach's favorite players, is in Dallas. In his first extensive interview since his departure from the Cowboys coaching staff, McCarthy weighed in on how each of his former players fit in their new locker rooms.

“From the Dallas perspective, they are a young football team and this gives them a lot of draft capital moving forward," McCarthy told David Moore in "D Magazine". "Kenny Clark––I’m not trying to compare him to Micah because he plays a different position, and I’m not saying he’s a better person––but he’s a stud of a man. From Day 1, when we had him in Green Bay, he was a top-notch person. I think the world of him.

“That’s a really good locker room in Dallas, and Kenny is a really good fit. That and two No. 1 picks…I know there is a long-term component that Dallas probably doesn’t want to talk about with this trade, but I think they should feel good about that."

“As for Micah, he goes to a young team and another great organization," McCarthy continued. "He can reach all of the goals he wants to reach as a player and a teammate. He’s in a great spot.’’

The Cowboys come face-to-face with Parsons for the first time since the trade on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium. Dallas has made Kenny Clark a captain of the week and chosen not to honor Parsons, their former first-round pick, before the game starts.