Cowboys' Jerry Jones Explains Micah Parsons Trade to Packers After Contract Standoff

Jerry Jones didn't wait long to step in front of the microphones after the Dallas Cowboys announced they traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.

"We did think it was in the best interest of our organization," he told reporters. "... We gained a Pro-Bowl player in an area that we had concerns in."

He seemed to lean into the need to stop the run and also suggested the draft picks could turn into Pro Bowl players. Pro Bowl players like Parsons, for example:

"I really like Micah," Jones said. "I appreciate the four years we had him here. He's a great player. No question, I could have signed him in April. ... This was by design. I did make Micah an offer and it wasn't acceptable and I honored the fact that it wasn't done how he wanted—through an agent."

Clark is a talented player who has three Pro Bowl selections on his resume. He will certainly help Dallas slow opposing rushing attacks, but he also turns 30 years old this season and is not the same caliber of difference-maker that Parsons is on a consistent basis.

Few players in the NFL are, which is why this is such an impactful addition for Green Bay.

But adding two first-round draft picks doesn't mean the Cowboys are shifting to rebuilding mode. Rather, Jones said the team might use some of its first-round picks to go acquire additional talent.

This isn't the first headline trade Jones has made as owner of the Cowboys. In fact, his decision to deal star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 was one of his best moves and eventually involved 18 players.

The trade brought Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson and Russell Maryland, among others, to Dallas and helped set up its 1990s dynasty.

But things haven't been the same for the Cowboys since the 1990s. They also didn't get nearly as much back in the deal for Parsons, who is just 26 years old and figures to be one of the league's best defensive players for the foreseeable future.

Yet that didn't stop Jones from bringing the Walker trade up Thursday:

Comparing the Parsons and Walker trades is wishful thinking from Dallas' perspective, but this does end an offseason saga that included plenty of back and forth between the team and star pass-rusher.

The end result is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate suiting up for a fellow NFC contender that just so happens to play the Cowboys this season. All eyes will be on the game between Dallas and the Packers on Sept. 28 as Parsons takes on his former team.

Jones might regret the move that day.