Cowboys claiming victory about trading Micah Parsons to Packers

The biggest NFL-related transaction of last summer involved the Dallas Cowboys trading star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in late August.

During the season, the Cowboys acquired defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and linebacker Logan Wilson ahead of the trade deadline. As Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk noted, Dallas later grabbed pass-rusher Malachi Lawrence, cornerback Devin Moore and defensive lineman LT Overton during the 2026 NFL Draft via assets linked with the Parsons trade. 

During a Tuesday appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones took some victory laps regarding the club's decision to part ways with Parsons. 

Cowboys now "feel really good about" trading Micah Parsons to Packers

"We feel really good about it," Jones said about the trade. "Obviously, much respect for Micah and what he stands for and how he plays and the caliber of player he is. At the same time, we feel good about what we’ve added via that trade. You look at a guy like Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. They’re alpha players who are not only great players on the field, but they’re leaders in the meeting rooms, how they go about their business in the offseason. Just bring great leadership to this team."

As for Parsons, he received a four-year, $188M contract that included $136M guaranteed from the Packers. He then tallied 12.5 sacks across the first 14 games of his Green Bay tenure before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL in the middle of December. 

Meanwhile, the Cowboys fired defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus after the 2025 season and have since replaced him with former Philadelphia Eagles defensive passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach Christian Parker. Only time will tell if Parker will help one of the players the Cowboys have acquired since September become as good as Parsons was for Dallas from 2021-24. 

Will trading Micah Parsons get the Cowboys closer to winning a Super Bowl?

"I just feel very optimistic that we have the right pieces in place," Jones continued. "Ultimately, the decision we made was that one player is not worth four or five good ones, and we feel like that’s where we’re going to end up here in a good spot. We had that opportunity there. Didn’t feel like we were one player away last year, but I certainly feel like we’re putting the pieces together to give us an opportunity to go do what our fans deserve, what we want, which is to go and try to win the big trophy."

Despite drafting Parsons in 2021, the Cowboys still haven't played in an NFC Championship Game since they won the Super Bowl in January 1996. It sounds like people within the franchise are convinced that trading Parsons will get "America's Team" closer to its ultimate goal.