Eric Williams
NFL Reporter
Jerry Jones blinked.
Unhappy with the lack of progress on a contract extension, superstar pass-rusher Micah Parsons demanded a trade earlier this month. Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, initially dismissed any concerns with the contract impasse, saying he wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
Cowboys fans everywhere are in for a restless night Thursday after Jones pulled the plug on a Parsons extension and stunningly traded him to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round selections and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The Packers have reportedly already made the two-time All-Pro the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, inking him to a four-year, $188 million contract that includes $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees.
Parsons, already a four-time Pro Bowler at 26, will now serve as the defensive backbone for the Packers, who immediately vault up the list of Super Bowl contenders. The Cowboys, meanwhile, begin the season in exactly one week — against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, with a first-time head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, and without their foundational player on defense.
“You don’t trade your best player, period,” a longtime NFL scout told me. “Bottom line is you can only pay five players on a roster really well unless one of them agrees to a pay cut.
“Green Bay is run by a million owners with football decisions made by football people. Dallas is run by an oil and gas executive tycoon with business experience, but no real football personnel training. Therefore, a business owner versus football experts.”
A league source told me this was old school versus new school, with Jones allowing his emotions to get in the way of making a deal. Jones said he thought he had a deal with Parsons in place back in March but balked at the prospect of further negotiating with Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta.
The two sides incredulously did not have contract discussions thereafter.
“I think just the way Jerry was initially almost precluded a deal getting done,” a league source told me. “And you really don’t want to end up in that space when you draft a guy who’s a big hit. You want to get him to a second contract when he’s a star. So, there’s a little bit of egg on the face in my mind, but not surprisingly, just knowing the vanity and the ego that’s in play there.”
Another league source familiar with contract negotiations echoed those comments.
“It’s clear in my opinion that Jerry Jones is more interested in winning negotiations than winning games,” he said. “While the $47 million a year is absolutely paying a premium to Parsons, it’s common for players acquired via trade to receive premium deals given the assets that have been given up for said player. So, I’m not surprised by how much Green Bay agreed to pay him.”
That league source went on to say the total compensation the Cowboys received for Parsons was fair, despite potential concerns about his injury history. The fifth-year edge rusher reportedly traveled outside of Dallas this week to receive a second opinion on his ailing back.
“Two first-round picks and Clark seems reasonable to me,” the league source said. “Once it comes out, the contract structure will tell you everything you need to know about their concerns around his injury history. But by and large, the elite level impact was more important than the injury concerns.”
Another league source told me Parsons should be a good fit in Green Bay.
“Ultimately, he’ll do well there,” the league source said. “He played at Penn State. He’ll have no problem with the cold. He’s a dog. [Green Bay head coach Matt] LaFleur is an offensive guy, so he’ll be like, ‘Hey, don’t f— this guy up,’ to the defensive coordinator. And those are the best scenarios, when you work for coordinators who stay out of it.”
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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