For so long, the Dallas Cowboys have made themselves the easiest of targets.<\/p>\n
They don\u2019t just embrace the spotlight \u2014 they chase it.<\/p>\n
So when they swung this season\u2019s most stunning blockbuster trade<\/a> last month, shipping out superstar linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for a pair of first-round picks and defensive lineman Kenny Clark, it was natural to rush to criticism. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones failed<\/a> to negotiate a contract extension with Parsons, which led to yet another messy battle with a player before the move. It didn\u2019t help that Parsons immediately agreed to a historic four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers.<\/p>\n Much of the criticism was fair. But considering the target, was it perhaps just a little too over the top?<\/p>\n Parsons and the Packers visit the Cowboys on Sunday night, intensely amplifying the NFL\u2019s wildest storyline of the young season. Parsons has further pushed the Packers (2-1) into Super Bowl contention, while the Cowboys (1-2) have much work to do to approach that status.<\/p>\n Therefore, it felt like the right time to revisit the Cowboys\u2019 shocking decision<\/a>. The passing of time should mute the hot takes and replace them with reasoned analysis.<\/p>\n Right?<\/p>\n The Athletic asked 12 decision-makers around the league \u2014 general managers, team executives and coaches \u2014 a simple question: Would they rather have Parsons at $47 million annually or an extra pair of first-round draft picks?<\/p>\n Ten evaluators picked Parsons. The other two said the answer was dependent on the organization\u2019s situation in relation to its roster construction. None said they\u2019d unequivocally take the picks.<\/p>\n \u201cThe chance of drafting someone that impactful with those two first-round picks isn\u2019t very high,\u201d said an executive who was granted anonymity so he could speak openly about the deal.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not wrong, of course. Finding another player who could rack up 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss and 112 quarterback hits in his first four seasons would be a tall order. A 2021 first-round pick, Parsons ranked fifth in the NFL in all three categories in that span.<\/p>\n The Packers have been on a rapid ascension in the post-Aaron Rodgers era, clearing the books by loading the roster with talented draft picks and surrounding quarterback Jordan Love with requisite talent for his own emergence. Defensively, coordinator Jeff Hafley quickly established one of the better systems in the league, to the point where he is on the short list of head coaching candidates for the next coaching cycle, and the Packers viewed Parsons as a difference-maker in Hafley\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n By regulating their costs, the Packers could afford to make a bold swing for one of the league\u2019s best overall players. And once Parsons has enough time to learn the defense, the Packers\u2019 front seven should be as good as any in the league, with pass rushers Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness along with linebackers Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m (the Packers) and in a Super Bowl window, the impact player now is worth the money,\u201d a second executive said.<\/p>\n The move didn\u2019t come without risk. Love is already on the books for $55 million annually, and the Packers may need to upgrade Gary\u2019s contract after the season \u2014 he\u2019s due $42 million in cash between 2026 and 2027 \u2014 to inch him a little closer to Parsons\u2019 tax bracket. And considering how well the Packers have been drafting, the absence of first-round picks will be felt at some point down the line.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a measured risk, though. The Packers are trying to win a Super Bowl, and they have the pieces to do it. They also have one of the best head coaches in the NFL with Matt LaFleur, along with a front office that was just voted one of the 10 best in the league<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI like the Packers\u2019 situation,\u201d a coach said. \u201c(They have a) proven young QB with upside. They needed a difference-maker in the front. (Parsons) is 26 years old. He hasn\u2019t been injured.\u201d<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the Cowboys\u2019 side of it all. They\u2019ve known for a couple years Parsons would eventually sign the most lucrative defensive contract in history, and they were prepared to enter that stratosphere. Their last offer to Parsons was for five years and $202.5 million, according to a league source.<\/p>\n While the Cowboys would have needed a slight sweetener to make Parsons the richest defensive player, it\u2019s unclear if they would have ultimately offered as much as the Packers, who became increasingly motivated to finalize the trade as the process progressed. The Cowboys intended to maintain an open dialogue with Parsons, but the Packers offered enough for Jones to pivot.<\/p>\n However unpopular Jones\u2019 decision happened to be, there was a way to objectively rationalize it.<\/p>\n Start with how unlikely they are to win a title this season. Dallas and coach Mike McCarthy went their separate ways after a poor 2024 season. The Cowboys pivoted to first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who is unlikely to match Don McCafferty (Baltimore Colts, 1970) and George Seifert (San Francisco 49ers, 1989) as the only first-year head coaches who have won a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n