Just as surprising as the Green Bay Packers orchestrating a trade to land Micah Parsons was the compensation they gave to the Dallas Cowboys in return. It’s stunning it didn’t cost more for a player entering the prime of his career at the peak of his powers, at a premium position in the NFL, and who is trending towards being a Hall of Famer.
Why was that the case? There are two angles to consider.
As part of the trade, the Packers agreed to a deal with Parsons that now makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Although the extension was for four years, the contract breaks down to a two- or three-year deal, depending on how you look at it, followed by a let’s see where we’re at period.
Many teams, despite Parsons being a franchise cornerstone, either lacked the financial flexibility to work this kind of deal or were uncomfortable doing so. Even though Parsons has missed only five games in his four-year career and has shown to be incredibly durable, it’s a lot of cheddar to hand over to a non-quarterback. From that perspective, it makes a little sense why the offer the Packers made was enough to land Parsons in Titletown.
The secondary piece is the actual compensation they sent to Dallas in return: Kenny Clark and two first-round picks.
Yes, draft picks, especially first-rounders, are extremely coveted in today’s NFL. They always have been. However, the Los Angeles Rams gave up two first-rounders and a fourth for cornerback Jalen Ramsey in 2019. A year later, the Seattle Seahawks parted with two first-round picks, a third, and safety Bradley McDougald for safety Jamal Adams. It’s hard to fathom how Parsons didn’t command more.
There’s a universal thought in today’s game that you need to prioritize three things on the roster: landing a franchise quarterback, protecting that quarterback, and getting to the opposing quarterback.
Parsons is one of the best in the business at getting to the quarterback, racking up at least 12 sacks in each of his first four years. Only Reggie White has accomplished that same feat in NFL history.
Still, the cost was two first-round picks and Clark, who, while great, is going to turn 30 this year. Had the Packers traded him for a pick in a different trade, Clark would likely only fetch a middle-of-the-draft selection.
Are we supposed to believe that Green Bay’s offer was the best, or was Jerry Jones just flat-out not shopping Parsons around to see what the best offer was? It’s just difficult to process that Green Bay’s offer was the best Dallas could do.
“Like if we’re doing NBA trade value, for NFL, there’s no way he’s not one of the seven blue-chippers you’d want in the league, including quarterback,” Bill Simmons said on the Ringer Fantasy Football Show. “So how is it not three firsts?”
The panel chimed in with “100%” while also noting that the picks Dallas received will very likely be late in the first round.
The Ringer crew are far from the only ones who carry this belief. CBS Sports chimed in with their own thoughts, per Jeff Kerr.
The return for Parsons is subpar, and so is trading him out of the organization. This should have never come to fruition, and it is all the fault of owner Jerry Jones. Also doubling as the Cowboys general manager, Jones decided to go into a standoff with Parsons rather than handle his contract situation long before the trade request came into fruition.
Bill Barnwell may have put it best when trying to compare the Parsons deal to the one that landed Khalil Mack in Chicago in 2018.
Though Mack had a Defensive Player of the Year title under his belt before that move, the Cowboys had a reasonable case to expect more for their star player. Parsons has been a star from the moment he stepped onto the field, whereas Mack was inconsistent as a rookie (four-sack campaign) before making a huge leap in Year 2. Parsons is more than a year younger now than the 27-year-old Mack was when he was shipped to the Bears.
The best explanation — one that has yet to be proven or disproven — is that the Packers jumped out ahead of this thing early, and talks developed at a deeper level with the Cowboys before anyone else. One other possible explanation is that Parsons, through his agent, had relayed that he wouldn’t sign an extension with certain teams, thus narrowing the pool of candidates. There has been zero reporting on that, though. Still, there must be something more to this than simply believing that Green Bay’s offer was the best Dallas could do.
Perhaps it’s just pure incompetence on Jones’ part, who dug his feet in during a standoff with Parsons after the superstar player decided to hold-in and sit out the entire offseason for the Cowboys. Jones is as stubborn as they come, and once negotiations stalled for months, this issue likely reached a point of no return. Despite that, it’s unfathomable that the Cowboys couldn’t have fetched more.
Some will argue that Green Bay didn’t make the right move because of the amount it will pay Parsons. Others will debate that the move still won’t put the Packers over the top.
What nobody is saying, absolutely nobody, is that the Cowboys made out like bandits and got an A+ return for dealing Parsons. It might always be a mystery as to why it didn’t cost Green Bay more.
