Jerry Jones signed Greg Hardy to a contract, but he wouldn’t give Micah Parsons another one.
That says everything you need to know what the Dallas Cowboys thought about one of the best pass rushing defensive ends in the NFL. They were sick of his s---, but more importantly so was Jerry.
Since Jerry bought the Dallas Cowboys, he has repeatedly proven he will take on, and pay, in-their-prime talent no matter the headache, transgression, or cost. Hardy. Charles Haley. Michael Irvin. Randy Gregory. Terrell Owens. Josh Brent. Pacman Jones. Alonzo Spellman. Dimitrius Underwood.
If Attila the Hun could rush the quarterback, and “be there on Sundays,” Jerry will not only put up with Mr. Hun, but sign him to a five-year extension.
Drawing the line on Parsons is a bad look. For both men. It makes Jerry look petty, because he can be. It confirms some of the rumblings about Parsons since he was at Penn State, because some of them are true.
The Dallas Cowboys just traded an All-NFL player because he is an All-world PITA.
Jerry pulled a Nico Harrison on Thursday by dealing his All-Pro player to a hated rival in exchange for a good player, and draft picks. The Cowboys sent Parsons to Green Bay in exchange for the Packers’ first round draft picks in 2026 and ‘27, as well as defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
It is a surprising finale to one of the nastiest contract negotiations in the history of the Cowboys. Even when Parsons issued a trade request, few thought the Cowboys would actually do it.
What finally broke Jerry was Parsons’ latest bit with doctors and MRIs for his back that is not a problem.
This is not trading Herschel Walker to the Vikings, the deal that was so instrumental in building the Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1990s.
This isn’t quite the equivalent of the Mavericks sending Luka Doncic to the L.A. Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis and some spare parts, but it’s close enough that it will make any Cowboys fan sick.
It is, however, a quiet sign that this team is rebuilding, and quarterback Dak Prescott’s chances to win a Super Bowl, or reach an NFC title game, are gone. One week before the start of the NFL’s regular season and the Cowboys just dumped not just their best defender, but their best player.
The Cowboys were at best a wild card team, and that’s with everyone playing well and remaining healthy. Without Parsons’ ability to rush the passer, there is no proven defender who can pressure a quarterback.
A trade like this will impact the locker room, damage morale, and takes away the only Cowboy defender who scared opposing quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.
The justifiable concern the Cowboys could have about Parsons is that he didn’t improve much since his rookie season when he earned comparisons to Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. Since then, Parsons has not turned lazy, but too often he comes across as content, a diva who loves fame more than focusing on football.
Still, a great player, but he also vanished at times when a man of his talent and skill must make a difference in a significant game (Parsons had one sack in four playoff games with Dallas.)
And a lot of Cowboys people hated Parsons’ insistence on hosting his own podcast.
Regardless, first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer does not need this. You can bet he signed off on it. Because he wants to remain in good graces with the man who gave him his first chance to be a head coach.
Every man who has coached for Jerry since Jimmy Johnson was canned has learned in order to have one of the most coveted jobs in sports requires dealing with decisions that remind you who’s in charge.
Jerry did it to Barry Switzer, the same for Chan Gailey. Poor Dave Campo. Jerry could have run an RV over Wade Phillips and Wade would have said, “Great drivin’, Coach!” Jerry did it to Jason Garrett. To Mike McCarthy. Make no mistake, Jerry did it to Bill Parcells, too.
It’s an unwritten reality of the job. The head coach of the Cowboys has a wide berth, until the owner/GM/president of the team decides there are decisions that are his. Because the Cowboys are his.
By sending Parsons to Green Bay, it says a lot about the owner, and the player, too.
While none of it is flattering, even less of it is surprising.