The Dallas Cowboys traded star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in 2025. In return, they received Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and multiple first-round picks. This was, however, a topic of debate among the football community.

Now, former Defensive Coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, Eric Mangini, shared his opinion on whether the Cowboys won the Micah Parsons trade after nearly a year.

“I don’t think they realized how bad they were gonna be defensively," Coach Mangini said per X post of First Things First. "And even if Micah had stayed...I don’t think it would’ve been the difference for them."

The Cowboys also received two first-round picks, which were converted into assets they acquired over the course of time. 

As noted in the First Things First show, the final haul of players in the Micah Parsons trade had DT Kenny Clark from the Packers. Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets, edge Malachi Lawrence (No. 23), CB Devin Moore (No. 114), and edge LT Overton (No. 137) in the 2026 NFL Draft.

"I was in support of the trade when they made it,” Mangini said. “And I think there's a lot of truth to what he's [Stephen Jones] saying about the difference between having one really good player as opposed to multiple quality players that can contribute in a lot of different ways.”

Coach Mangini believes this trade to be a cap saver and roster depth addition move, as the Cowboys brought in significant changes to the roster with ‘the money they saved from not signing Micah.’ 

After a historically poor defensive season, the Cowboys chose roster depth over one star player, a direction fully backed by Stephen Jones.

Stephen Jones Discusses Dallas’ Return in Micah Parsons Deal 

Stehen Jones, the EVP of the Cowboys, defended the Parsons move last year by feeling optimistic about having the right pieces in place. During his recent appearance on the Mad Dog Sports Radio show, Jones revealed his feelings about the trade.

“Ultimately, the decision we made was that one player is not worth four or five good ones, and we feel like that’s where we’re going to end up here in a good spot.”

During his four years with the Cowboys, Parsons played for 63 games, recording 52.5 sacks. This record made him stand with the Hall of Famer Reggie White as the only two players in NFL history to record 12 or more sacks in the first four NFL seasons.

The bold choice to trade the key player of their defense has now turned into a wider plan for building the roster, focusing on depth and balance for the Cowboys.

What do you think of this trade?

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Written by

Archana Ramakrishnan

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi