The Herschel Walker deal reshaped the Dallas Cowboys dynasty, and more than three decades later, it is still regarded as one of the greatest trades ever made in the league.

On October 12, 1989, the Cowboys traded star running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who was the rookie QB at that time, wasn’t sold on the move when it happened.

"I find out that we had just traded the only guy on our team that was really any good,” Aikman said, per Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports. “And I couldn't believe it.”

Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys' head coach at that time, made the call to trade Walker, which led to a series of trades and future assets.

The Cowboys received five players (Jesse Solomon, David Howard, Issaic Holt, Alex Stewart, and Darrin Nelson, with Nelson immediately traded to the San Diego Chargers) and eight draft picks, including three first-rounders through the trade.

"Along with several other acquisitions, the Cowboys went from NFL doormats to NFL champions," Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports wrote in his article. "In 1992, just three years after pulling off the greatest deadline deal in league history, Dallas won the first of its three Super Bowl wins over four years.  

The Cowboys utilized the picks in signing running back Emmitt Smith, defensive tackle Russell Maryland, cornerback Kevin Smith, and safety Darren Woodson, who became the four building blocks of the franchise that won three Super Bowls between 1992 and 1995.

Johnson remembered the trade to be unpopular and heavily criticized at that time, but he was confident in the trade that reaped the benefits, as he referred to it as "the great train robbery"

The Micah Parsons trade last year also drew comparisons to the Cowboys' historic deal in 1989, as the Cowboys made a defensive overhaul through the picks from his trade. But one Cowboys insider believes that the potential long-term impact is different.

Cowboys insider downplays Herschel Walker-Parsons trade comparison

Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com believes that any trade done in the NFL wouldn't come as near as the Herschel Walker trade, considering the present and past circumstances and cap structure.

"There will never be another Herschel Walker-like trade in the NFL," Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com wrote in response to a mailbag entry last year. "Part of what made the Herschel trade so great for Dallas was the fact that they hit on so many of the draft picks they gave up. That's not always the case, and there's an element of luck to it as well."

Though Yarrish downplayed the comparison between the Parsons and Walker trades, even before the Parsons trade, he argued that the Walker deal became legendary because the team hit on multiple draft picks.

Yarrish argued that luck is also a key factor in turning the trade returns into long-term success, adding pressure on the Cowboys defensive revamp made during the offseason, utilizing the assets of Micah Parsons trade.

What do you think about those two trades? Let us know!

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote