NFL 2025: How Does the Micah Parsons Trade Affect the Packers and Cowboys?

• The Micah Parsons Cowboys-Packers trade drops a bomb on the NFL right before the start of the regular season
• The Packers dramatically changed the look of their defense and significantly increased their 2025 expectations
• Jerry Jones piggybacks on the Netflix documentary and his risk-taking mentality by…taking a huge risk
• How does this alter the landscape of the NFC?

Cowboys Give Parsons What He Wanted(?)

In the NFL, contract negotiations with a preseason holdout tend to follow a predictable script with the team drawing a line in the sand, the player angrily rejecting an offer and demanding a trade, and the sides eventually coming together for a deal. This was the case in the past week with Trey Hendrickson and the Bengals, and Terry McLaurin and the Commanders.

For Parsons and the Cowboys, it looked as though the same template was in progress, and it was inevitable that the sides would come together.

What player wants to leave the stage in Dallas to venture into the unknown?

And what team would trade a 26-year-old pass-rushing linebacker/edge hybrid who’s made the Pro Bowl in all four of his seasons and is a 2X All-Pro?

Obviously, given the trade to the Packers, Parsons really did want to leave the Cowboys, and the Cowboys were indeed the team that would trade a young superstar defender.

It could have been worked out just as Hendrickson and McLaurin found common ground with their teams, but the sides chose a different path.

Why Would the Cowboys Do This?

Jerry Jones is a brilliant businessman. He’s aware of the consequences of his actions, but makes bold moves anyway if he feels the risk/reward is worthwhile.

In addition, he’s conscious of finances despite his wealth and the franchise’s financial and brand value. He is not making these decisions on his own. His son Stephen is well-regarded in NFL circles and has a significant say. It’s arguable as to whether Stephen is the one calling the shots more than his soon-to-be 83-year-old father.

Parsons signed a $188 million contract extension with Green Bay in which $136 million is guaranteed. Jones had repeatedly stated that they made Parsons an offer much larger than he would have gotten had he played on his current contract this year and then been franchise tagged.

The relationship had soured, but that is repairable. The money and the trade offer tipped the scales for the Cowboys to pull the trigger. They will receive the Packers’ #1 picks in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts, and 3X Pro Bowl defensive lineman Kenny Clark.

Despite that return, they have weakened their pass rush and overall defensive swagger by trading arguably the most dangerous defensive player in the league. Clark will turn 30 in December. Those draft picks will likely be in the latter stages of the first round. And the Cowboys’ locker room is not happy.

Did Jerry watch his Netflix documentary one too many times and think this is his chance to replicate the Herschel Walker trade and finally get credit for it? If it doesn’t work, there’s the opposite of credit, and he’ll need to accept it. It’s called blame.

In short, the Cowboys have some draft capital for the long term, but in 2025, they just took about two or three steps back. Steps they can’t afford.

The Packers Needed To Do This

Green Bay already had a solid defense. Their secondary is opportunistic, and they were in the top 10 in the league in sacks. However, there was no difference-maker up front. Parsons is that difference-maker.

While they have made the playoffs in five of the six years with Matt LaFleur coaching the team, and Jordan Love has relatively seamlessly replaced Aaron Rodgers, they were stagnant in the playoffs and needed a jolt. This qualifies as a J…O…L…T.

Especially troublesome for them before this trade was their division, the NFC North, perhaps the toughest in the NFL. But there is a pathway for them to rise to the top and into legitimate Super Bowl contention.

The Lions might take a step back; the Vikings are working with a rookie QB in J.J. McCarthy; and the Bears will undoubtedly be better with new head coach Ben Johnson, but were 5-12 in 2024. With Parsons, the Packers have a defender opposing teams need to plan for.

Players who can wreck a game singlehandedly are rare. Parsons is one such player.

The Cowboys-Packers Micah Parsons Trade Rocks the NFL

The markets will take some time to gauge how this affects not just the Cowboys, the Packers, and Parsons, but the entire league as well.

If Parsons arrives in Green Bay healthy and with a vengeance, he’s nearly impossible to stop.

The Cowboys had myriad questions before this trade. Now? It could quickly turn into a catastrophe.

Once the odds are posted, the response to the trade will be clearer. For now, it’s a visceral reaction hours after it became reality. And that is good for the Packers and not so good for the Cowboys.

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