There was once a time when Jerry Jones was a big gambler. His risk-taking ways that made him millions in the oil business transfered over to his football decisions after buying the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. Moves to hire Jimmy Johnson, trade away Herschel Walker, and sign one of the biggest free agents ever in Deion Sanders helped Jones’ Cowboys win three Super Bowls in the ‘90s. All of this is well documented in the recently released Netflix series, “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys.“
But
over the years, some of that gamble left Jerry. After botched deals like the Joey Galloway and Roy Williams trade, he’s backed off quite a bit. No longer is he willing to sell the farm for immediate gratification, but instead, he’s taking a more patient approach and thinking long-term. Never was this more evident than in his latest move, on a day that will live in infamy for Cowboys Nation.
On Thursday, Jones traded All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two future first-round picks and the services of defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The news comes after an entire offseason of this supposed contract negotiation gridlock that featured both sides folding their arms and holding their breath. Jones claimed that an offer was made to Parsons, but it wasn’t good enough and negotiations with Parsons’ agent never followed. They expected him to play under his fifth-year option.
Parsons played back at them. He did not practice during training camp, and he publicly asked for a trade. Whether it was a “call me” hand gesture when fans yelled “come to Baltimore” or lying on a trainer’s table hopelessly counting the bolts in the rafters of AT&T Stadium, Parsons created the illusion that he had checked out. He constantly said his back didn’t feel right, while computer-generated radio waves of his body showed otherwise.
To the outside world, it looked like a fractured relationship that was headed for an ugly divorce, but little did we know, the Cowboys had already filed the divorce papers. According to Jones, the team has been considering trading Parsons all offseason. He reiterated that this wasn’t a decision that was a reaction to what the public viewed as a failed contract negotiation. Instead, it was a calculated decision that they felt would make them a better overall team. We’ll get to that in a minute, but what do we make about all this Hollywooding Jones was doing regarding Parsons?
All summer, we’ve heard things like “Micah is a remarkable talent,” or “There’s no chance we’re trading Micah,” or “We’ve got three years to work this thing out,” or “Nobody appreciates Micah more than me.” All of this was phony bologna. He wasn’t sending a message to reassure fans. It was a complete smoke job to maintain Parsons’ trade value to the outside world despite it falling within the organization. It was an acting performance that rivals the remarkable job he did in the TV show Landman. Give that man a Golden Globe!
The drama with contract negotiations has been intense lately, as their three best players have all gotten new deals over the last 13 months. We’ve come to expect things being dragged out and resolutions coming down to the wire, but until this point, they’ve always had a happy ending. Deals did get done. The Cowboys never parted ways with one of their stars. All the back-and-forth contract disputes were viewed as “the business of the NFL” that would ultimately end in smiles and huge stacks of greenbacks. But not this time.
For the first time in a long time, the Joneses pulled a fast one on all of us. No longer can we can just say, “this is just Jerry being Jerry.” He’s truly a wildcard. The predictability of this front office has just been tossed out the window. If they can tell us all summer that there is no way they’d part ways with this generational talent of Parsons, and then turn around and ship him off, what else are they capable of? They can’t be trusted. Anything is possible now.
It’s going to take some time before a true grade can be given to this deal, and in the interim, fans are going to be miserable. The front office views it quite differently. The decision to trade Parsons was unanimous. The entire front office, coaching staff, and players who are on the team’s leadership council had a say in this. This wasn’t an impulse decision. Whether it was right or wrong, the Cowboys wanted an opportunity to exchange Parsons for up to five impact players, one of whom serves as a big move to help fix their run defense. Who are these impact players? They come in three forms…
Kenny Clark, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle
Two future first-round draft picks, 2026 and 2027
Two players whom the Cowboys can now afford to keep with Parsons’ unused cap space
Five for one is why the Cowboys were so willing to part ways with a star talent like Micah. Again, whether this was a smart plan or not is a giant TBD, but at least you can see the logic behind it. The Cowboys are finally doing something to help their run defense. They are finally listening to coaches and helping them gather resources that fit their scheme. Stephen Jones said in the press conference, “You can scheme to get pressure on the QB, but what’s tough to scheme is to stop the run.” They feel like the coaches can generate pressure with the pass-rushers they already have, but they need more help if they are to have a fighting chance of stopping the run.
And their new defensive tackle is the smallest part of this deal. Giving Day 1 draft capital to a team that has a strong resume of producing Day 1 studs is something. And the $47 million per year that Parsons is costing will go a long way in helping add other resources to make this team better. Rest assure, the Cowboys gain a lot from this.
However this shakes out, Jones has once again demonstrated that he’s not against making big moves, although this is certainly not what fans had in mind. The Cowboys are not afraid to be themselves, showing a willingness to go in any direction if they feel it helps their football team, even if the entire world is against them. Jones has been through this before, and the last time he did something crazy like this, it did have a happy ending. Only time will tell if his latest gamble pays off, but the wild ride that is the Dallas Cowboys will never end.
