Grading the Micah Parsons Trade
Just yesterday at 2:00 PM PST, phones around the world buzzed with the news: Micah Parsons is getting traded to Green Bay. The reactions were mixed. Some thought that Green Bay was next to guaranteed. To Cowboys fans, though, the very idea of trading a generational defensive star seemed laughable. Unfortunately for Dallas, the laughter only went one way.
Cowboys: C-
You would think that the kid who always dreamed of playing with a star on his helmet, the one who cried after hearing he was going to Dallas on draft night, and the one who said he’d leave money on the table to re-sign, would obviously end up staying. Jerry Jones had other plans.
Looking back with a day of clarity, the writing was on the wall for months. There was no feasible way to pay Dak, CeeDee, and Micah all top-of-market deals. Even with restructuring, they would have taken up over 40% of the cap, way too much to build a competent roster. If you’re going to move one, I would argue it shouldn’t be your 26-year-old generational Swiss Army knife on defense, but I unfortunately don’t run the Cowboys.
I’m not as low on this trade as others, though. Two firsts and a three-time Pro Bowler is still a solid haul for any player. Jerry Jones has once again made it clear he doesn’t care what the media or fans think, but you have to wonder: if this isn’t Herschel Walker 2.0, how does it affect his legacy in building America’s Team?
Packers: B+
I love when a team goes “all in,” but I’m just not sure why it’s the Packers. Micah Parsons is elite, but he doesn’t fill their biggest needs. Their defense was already top-five, strong in sacks, and more reliable than the offense. What they truly lack is an elite QB and even a single above-average wide receiver, which will not be fixed by Micah.
This move reminds me of an NBA team adding a 20-point scorer and assuming they’ll automatically score 20 more points a night. Parsons will help, bring national attention, and make Green Bay scarier. But does he push them over the edge? I’m just not sure they were ever one star player away from success, so why do it now?
Micah Parsons: B-
I can’t speak for Micah and his relationship with the organization, but financially this isn’t the slam dunk the headlines make it out to be. After going from Texas’s 0% to Wisconsin’s 7.65% state tax, he’s really only netting one to two million dollars more per year compared to Dallas, while living half the year in cold, quiet Wisconsin.
Say what you want about the Cowboys organization, but in terms of the mix of money, market, and lifestyle, it doesn’t get much better than Dallas. The extra year on his deal will matter when it comes to his final big contract, and nobody’s feeling sorry for him. But if the trade-off is just a little more money at the cost of Dallas’ quality of life, you have to wonder if it’s really a win.
