GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers' longest-tenured player is being shipped to Dallas to become the newest member of the Cowboys.
Kenny Clark, who turns 30 years old in October, was packaged in a deal that also includes two first-round picks being sent to Jerry Jones' Cowboys in exchange for Micah Parsons. Parsons, 26, joins an ascending defense in Green Bay that is entering its second season under the watch of coordinator Jeff Hafley.
The Packers will do what Jones failed to do with the centerpiece of his defense—negotiate directly with Parsons' agent, David Mulugheta, who represents a handful of players on their roster, including Jordan Love. That part is out of the way, though, as Parsons intends to sign a four-year, $188 million dollar deal with the Packers that includes $120 million dollars guaranteed. At $47 million dollars per year, Parsons becomes the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history.
His arrival drastically alters the landscape of the Packers' defense, even with the loss of Clark, who was going to transition back into a nose tackle role in 2025. Colby Wooden, a former fourth-round pick, was set to be Clark's primary backup. It's unclear whether the Packers will give him the opportunity to start or if it'll be Devonte Wyatt, a former first-round pick who had his fifth-year option picked up by the team this past offseason. He's under contract through 2026.
Across nine seasons in Green Bay, Clark played 140 games, logging 35 sacks and 417 tackles. Had he played for the Packers in 2025, he would've been one of 49 players in franchise history to play at least 10 seasons in Green Bay. He was a beloved fan favorite and, for nearly a decade, had been on the frontlines of a defense that has continued to evolve around him. He's played alongside the likes of Mike Daniels, Nick Perry, Clay Matthews, Kyler Fackrell and Blake Martinez, among others. While everything else changed, Clark remained a stagnant presence in the teeth of the defense. Now, he'll likely play out the twilight of his career in Dallas.
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The maneuver for Parsons was a colossal and uncharacteristic swing from general manager Brian Gutekunst. He has tried and failed in the past, most notably in his efforts to acquire Khail Mack from the then-Oakland Raiders in the summer of 2018. Mack was ultimately dealt to the NFC North rival Chicago Bears in a league-quaking trade.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Gutekunst reaffirmed his belief that the Packers weren't one player away from completing their roster in their pursuit of a championship. He also didn't rule out being involved in any discussions revolving around acquiring a player so long as it makes sense for the Packers on a number of fronts—who the player is, whether they're medically cleared, salary cap restrictions, etc.
"I think you have to look at everything, any opportunity to help your football team, you have to look at it and discuss it as a group. We do it all the time, almost daily," he said. "I think what someone might consider a bold move, someone else might not. We signed a practice squad guy today, I might consider that a bold move. Somebody else might not.
"Every opportunity that's out there to help your football team, we've always taken a look at to see how it affects us right now and how it affects us in the future and make the best decision we can."
Parsons and the Cowboys had been in the throes of a messy, well-documented divorce that had dominated headlines this summer. Parsons wanted a new contract to remain with the Cowboys for the foreseeable future, however, Jones bypassed Parsons' agent, Mulugheta, and negotiated directly with the player himself. That's a direct violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and presumably helped sour the relationship, resulting in Parsons requesting his trade from the Cowboys earlier this month.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
The Packers were already perceived as playoff hopefuls before adding Parsons, but now they've entered the conversation as immediate Super Bowl contenders. Parsons is one of just two players in league history to register at least 12 sacks in each of his first four seasons in the league—the other is the late Reggie White, who signed with the Packers in 1993 and is renowned as one of the greatest free-agent acquisitions ever. Parsons is also one of three players in league history to earn Pro Bowl honors in each of his first four seasons, joining Aaron Donald and Patrick Peterson.
Hoping for a leap forward from Wooden, Wyatt and potentially even Nazir Stackhouse, the undrafted rookie free agent who made the team's 53-man roster, would be ideal for the Packers. However, it's the do-it-all ability of Parsons that should help mitigate the loss of Clark up front. Parsons has been deployed just about everywhere since entering the league, whether his hand is in the grass as a defensive end, standing up on the edge as a true outside linebacker or playing in the second level as either a strongside or weakside linebacker. Someone of his caliber will allow the Packers to generate pressure with just four players—a luxury that the Philadelphia Eagles showcased a season ago en route to a Super Bowl title.
While moving forward sans Clark will certainly feel foreign for the Packers, perhaps they believe that his less-than-stellar campaign in 2024 was the start of a trend rather than an anomaly. As he's approaching the back end of his career, no one would blame them if they assumed the former. Clark was hindered by a toe injury for much of the year, but still played in all 17 games for the third consecutive season. He had just 34 pressures, which was his lowest total since 2020 when he played in just 13 games. The lone sack he was responsible for marked the first time since his 2016 rookie season that he finished with one or fewer.
Clark will finish his tenure with the Packers sixth on their all-time list in tackles for losses and fifth in quarterback hits.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com