WOW! The Dallas Cowboys just traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for Kenny Clark and 2 first round picks. I really didn’t think a trade would happen. This trade happened very fast, with reports of the Cowboys being open to listening to trade offers only this morning.
I will provide grades and analysis for both teams below.
Dallas Cowboys
Receive:
-
Kenny Clark (DT)
-
2026 1st Round Pick
-
2027 1st Round Pick
Grade: C+
First, lets talk about compensation.
The Cowboys didn’t get a horrible payout for Parsons, however its not great either. Kenny Clark is aging at 29 years old with probably just three good years of play left in his career. In those three years, he will provide a tremendous boost to the Cowboys struggling run defense. Jerry Jones has already mentioned they traded for Clark because his run-stopping ability. I think Kenny Clark is a great player and despite not being an elite pass rusher, he is still a difference maker.
The Cowboys also received the Packers next two first round picks. These picks will likely be late in round one, so don’t expect any top-10 picks from this trade. It will help the Cowboys get their roster back on track towards winning a Super Bowl.
Next, I will discuss how this trade came to be and how it will effect the Cowboys this season and in the future.
I think Jerry Jones did a horrible job managing this negotiation. He refused to speak with Micah Parsons’ agent for some reason and put the team in a bad situation. The team either had to choose from three options: give Parsons’ whatever he wants, trade him, or don’t extend him at all and get no compensation. Obviously, option three is worst case scenario. With their backs against the wall, the Cowboys didn’t get as much compensation compared to if they traded him earlier when Micah wasn’t pissed off.
On the bright side, the teams financial situation looks a lot better. They can finally sign other players and try to build a more well rounded team. I don’t think the Cowboys will be very good this year. Likely a team picking in the top 10 in the 2026 draft.
Green Bay Packers
Receive:
-
Micah Parsons (EDGE)
Grade: A+
This trade really sets Green Bay up to be contenders this year. They were very competitive last year but struggled with pass rush and WR issues. First, they drafted a WR in the first round for the first time in about 20 years in Matthew Golden. That should help resolve WR issues. Now they trade for arguably the best defensive player in the whole league. The Packers were aggressive this off season and got things done. They didn’t even give up too much either. While losing Kenny Clark will hurt their run defense, the Micah Parsons boost on this defense will be more than enough to make up for it. Plus two (likely) late 1st round picks. Not too bad.
The bummer is their cap space. This puts a lot of pressure on the Packers front office to find quality players in the draft. This means they need to find potential starters not only early in the draft but even in the later rounds as well. However, the Packers have done a great job of drafting and managing cap as of late so I have confidence they can do it. The Packers are now my favorite to win the NFC and potentially the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Their offense under HC Matt LaFluer has been dynamic and explosive and their defense has been about average. Their offense should only improve this year and their defense should improve massively. Let me remind you that the Packers were 11-6 last year with a way worse team than this year.
Overall, the Packers set themselves up to win a Super Bowl while the Cowboys enter a (hopefully) short rebuild period. Both teams benefit in their own ways but in my opinion the Packers clearly win this trade. Jerry Jones will be regretting this for years to come.
