Jerry Jones isn’t backing off his Micah Parsons trade, and he’s not pretending it was anything but deliberate.
Nearly a year after the Cowboys stunned plenty of their own fans by sending Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Jones said at training camp in Oxnard, California that he likes where the move has led. Asked about the trade, he made clear he has no regrets.
“Even though Micah's an outstanding talent [that] anybody would like to have, the bottom line is that I like what the result of the trade has ended up as I stand here today.”
Jones framed the Parsons deal through the lens of one of the franchise’s most famous swings: the 1989 trade of Herschel Walker. That move, he said, helped set up the Cowboys’ run of three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s. In his view, the Parsons trade has had a similar effect on how the team has operated since.
“You could say those picks got us key players, but the main thing that the Herschel Walker trade did, it caused me to be more aggressive and caused us to, if you will, take more risk because we had more picks.”
He went further, tying that mindset directly to the roster overhaul the Cowboys have made since moving Parsons.
“So, in a way, this actually created a mental part to us and to my role in it with me, to step out and make the moves and take, if you will, risks that are involved to be where we are today with a complete makeover of the defense.”
The trade itself came on Aug. 28, 2025, when Dallas dealt Parsons to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Those selections have already been put to work, with one helping land All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets and another used to draft edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
The Parsons move also opened up salary-cap room that the Cowboys used in a few different places. It helped them sign safety Jalen Thompson, trade for pass rusher Rashan Gary, and give Williams his recent three-year contract extension.
Jones clearly believes the return has justified the shock. Whether that holds up once the season starts is still the real test.
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