It's not very usual to see generational pass rushers on the trade block, especially before their rookie contracts expire. That's why the Green Bay Packers didn't hesitate to give up a lofty return to get Micah Parsons.
Parsons' immediate impact on Jeff Hafley's defense made everybody forget about the two first-round picks and Kenny Clark. Unfortunately, a season-ending ACL injury cut short his first year at Lambeau Field, but the overall sentiment remains unchanged.
That's why he may not appreciate what Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones just said. Talking to Adam Schein on Mad Dog Sports Radio, the Cowboys executive admitted that his team felt "really good" about how everything turned out for them.
Micah Parsons will want to prove the Cowboys wrong
"We feel really good about it," Jones said. "Obviously, much respect for Micah and what he stands for and how he plays and the caliber of player he is, but at the same time we feel good about what we've added via that trade."
Granted, it's not like he's going to say otherwise, and he did praise Parsons. That said, Micah is an emotional player with a somewhat fragile ego, and given how things ended between him and his former team, he's going to use him to fuel his fire and come back even more motivated.
The Cowboys deserve plenty of credit for how they flipped that first-round pick to keep adding firepower to their defense. Besides getting Kenny Clark, they landed Malachi Lawrence, Devin Moore, and LT Overton. Also, they used their surplus of first-round capital to trade for Quinnen Williams. So, all things considered, they have every right to feel pretty good about that move.
That won't change the fact that they traded one of the three-best pass rushers in the game, and someone who may carry Myles Garrett's torch once he reaches his prime. Parsons hadn't struggled with injuries before, and he should be back to his dominant self once he's fully healthy.
The Penn State product might miss the first stretch of the season, given that he suffered the injury in December. Even so, the Packers should have more than enough to hold down the fort and give Jonathan Gannon something to work with while he makes his long-awaited return.
Parsons has always played with a chip on his shoulder the size of Wisconsin. And after such a long layoff and watching how his former team thinks the grass is greener without him, he's going to bring a much-needed mean streak to Lambeau Field.
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