The Dallas Cowboys and owner Jerry Jones dealt Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday in one of the biggest trades in NFL history.
What did the Packers give up to land the All-Pro? Green Bay sent two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas.
The two first-round picks are for 2026 and 2027 and could be towards the end of the first round if the Packers have the type of success that they are hoping to over the next few years.
As for Kenny Clark, the former All-American at UCLA was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has gone on to have an excellent career, earning Pro Bowl honors three times (most recently in 2023).
However, not everyone is sold on Clark still being a star-level player in the NFL. Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus questioned the move by the Cowboys on X.
“Clark is 29 and coming off his worst year as a pass rusher (63.1 grade), is going to a similar 4-down front in Dallas, and hasn’t had a single-season run defense grade above 61.5 in four years with his contract getting more expensive after this season. I can’t, man,” he said.
NFL analyst Ross Tucker, who lives in Parsons’ hometown of Harrisburg, also questioned the move.
“On the bright side, Cowboys fans, now you can use those two LATE first round picks on guys that won’t be close to as good as Micah Parsons,” Tucker posted on X.
As a part of the trade from Dallas to Green Bay, the Packers signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million extension. He is set to make $47 million per year over the course of the four years, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
The trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers ends an eventful offseason filled with plenty of twists and turns for Parsons and Dallas.
The former Harrisburg High School star was frustrated throughout the offseason that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones failed to negotiate with Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, during contract negotiation talks.
Parsons’ frustration led to him eventually requesting a trade out of Dallas.
On Thursday, that trade request was finally granted, marking one of the biggest trades in NFL history.
Parsons is set to make $6 million more per year than any non-quarterback in the NFL. Steelers star T.J. Watt had been the highest-paid non-QB at $41 million annually.
Parsons was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and has made the Pro Bowl all four of his seasons in the NFL.
He was drafted by the Cowboys with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after starring at Harrisburg High and Penn State.
The 26-year-old is one of only three players in the NFL to record 12-plus sacks in at least four of the past five seasons, according to Schefter.
Now, he is on the move.
Parsons released a statement following the trade.
“Growing up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I was one of the few kids in my neighborhood who cheered for the Dallas Cowboys. Nearly everyone around supported the Eagles, but I always believed in the star,” Micah Parsons said. “To wear the blue and white at Penn State and then carry those same colors into the NFL as a Cowboy, it was more than a dream, it was destiny.
“From the moment I arrived in Dallas, you embraced me and my family as your own. You made a kid from the east coast feel right at home in Texas. Every time I pulled up to work, every time I stepped onto that field, I felt the weight and pride of representing you. You didn’t just give me a jersey, you gave me a place to belong."
Micah Parsons will return to Dallas in Week 4 when the Cowboys host the Packers on Sunday Night Football.
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