The Dallas Cowboys finally did the unthinkable, parting ways with arguably the greatest defensive player in the league in Micah Parsons. To make matters even worse, they traded him to an NFC rival while getting the worst end of the deal.
Parsons was traded away to the Green Bay Packers, who gave him a new four-year contract that makes him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history by a wide margin at $47 million per season. In exchange, the Cowboys received a paltry package of draft picks and one veteran who will likely earn a starting role.
The Cowboys will reportedly acquire two first-round picks in exchange for Parsons, along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark. While Clark figures to be an immediate starter at the defensive tackle spot for the Cowboys, that won't be enough to cover up the fact that Parsons is going to be in green and gold.
Jerry Jones may have made the worst move of his executive career with this blunder, as there is no way that Clark and whatever picks the Cowboys may spend on young players to replace Parsons will be able to match the dominant exploits of the All-Pro edge rusher.
Micah Parsons trade details: Cowboys get fleeced by Packers
Clark has spent nine years in Green Bay, making three Pro Bowls along the way. While the Cowboys need a new defensive tackle as Mazi Smith keeps struggling, trading away Parsons is not the way to go about addressing their shortcomings in this area.
While the Parsons trade will put some of Dallas' prized young edge rushers, including Donovan Ezeiruaku and Marshawn Kneeland, in a prominent position, the two of them could stand on their head and they likely won't come close to replicating the impact Parsons has on a defense.
The Packers, meanwhile, will add the best pass rusher in the game to the youngest team in the NFL. Parsons is now poised to compete for championships with a balanced Packers team, all while the Cowboys are left deflated just a few days before the season is set to begin.
There's no other way to put this. This is a painful day for the Cowboys and their fans. Dallas will go from a playoff team with one of the best players in the league to a pathetic shell of itself, all while Green Bay builds itself a contender right under their noses.