The Micah Parsons trade is still shaping the Cowboys’ roster, and Dallas just put another twist on it.
A year after Green Bay sent two first-round picks and Kenny Clark to the Cowboys for Parsons in August 2025, Dallas has turned around and used more of that draft capital in another defensive deal. On September 30, the Cowboys agreed to send Pittsburgh a 2028 second-round pick and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2027 for Joey Porter Jr.
That move brought the Parsons blockbuster back into focus, because it pushed Dallas further down the path of reworking its defense with the return it got from one of the biggest deals in recent memory. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak pointed to the sequence and framed it this way: “Instead of paying Micah Parsons $46.5M per year, the Cowboys traded him for two Round 1 picks and Kenny Clark,” wrote the NFL insider.
Parsons’ side of the deal has already taken on a massive financial shape in Green Bay. He agreed to a four-year, $188 million extension with the Packers that averages $47 million per season and includes $136 million in guarantees. Dallas, meanwhile, received Clark and the Packers’ first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
Solak then drew the line from that trade to the Cowboys’ latest moves: “They’ve now traded away a Round 1 and two Round 2 picks for Quinnen Williams and Joey Porter Jr., whom they will pay combined (assuming JPJ extension) ~$65.3M per year,” he continued.
That estimate hinges on Dallas eventually giving Porter a contract that would land around $30 million per year, even though no such extension has been committed yet. The broader point remains the same: the Parsons trade continues to ripple through the Cowboys’ roster construction, while Green Bay took the opposite route and made Parsons the financial and defensive centerpiece.
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The immediate assignment, though, is straightforward enough. Detroit is focused on keeping Bryce Young from settling in, and Campbell said the biggest defensive concern beyond that is handling tight ends in the middle of the field. He also raised the possibility of rookie linebacker Jimmy Rolder getting defensive snaps, a reminder that the Lions may not be done adjusting the group as they balance short-term needs with longer-term decisions. [Read more 🡒]
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What happens after that will be the part Detroit is watching most closely. The Lions would then have the 21-day window to work through before deciding on activation, and Kelvin Sheppards recent comments about the defense and its preparation only add to the sense that the unit is bracing for a potentially meaningful addition. For a team trying to keep its defensive rhythm intact, Branchs return would be one of the more notable developments on the horizon. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Could Have Tough Trade Calls If Young Talent Keeps Rising
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What makes the calculus trickier is that the answer may not be about those players alone. The Lions also have to factor in how younger talent is coming along and whether injuries create new pressure points before the deadline arrives. If those developments keep breaking the right way, Detroit could find itself making some difficult calls on useful pieces rather than simply adding help. [Read more 🡒]