Let me be the first to say it: Welcome to Green Bay, Micah. With all the turmoil that’s surrounding the Micah Parsons situation this offseason, it’s no surprise the only possible result was a trade out of Dallas. Let’s jump into the details of the trade, what this means for both teams and why the Packers are now the favorites to win the NFC North.
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Trade Breakdown
Cowboys Commit to Stopping the Run
The argument could be made that the Cowboys got peanuts in return for Micah Parsons. The argument could also be made that the Cowboys have committed to stopping the run and that DT Kenny Clark is the very guy to do it. Clark’s only 29 years old and one of the best defensive tackles in the game. He may not generate the big sack numbers or generate highlight plays, but he clogs the lane and makes it incredibly hard for teams to move the ball on the ground.
Last year, the Packers had the 7th best rushing defense; giving up just 98.7 YPG on the ground. In addition to Kenny Clark, the Cowboys got two first round draft picks (2026/2027) and the Packers made Micah the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Dallas wasn’t ready to pay Parsons, despite what he’s been able to do for this team in his first four seasons.
Packers Defense Gets Even Better
Last year the Packers ranked 6th in total yards allowed, giving up just 315.6 yards from scrimmage per game. They ranked 6th in points allowed, giving up 19.9 PPG and have now significantly improved their pass rush; an area they really struggled in during the final few games of last season.
Micah Parsons has played just four seasons in the NFL, he is currently 26 years old. In his first four years, Parsons has 52.5 sacks, 63 tackles for loss, 9 forced fumbles and 172 total tackles. Last year Parsons played just 13 games due to injury, he still recored 12 sacks, 12 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He’s been an elite edge rusher from the time he stepped foot on a football field and now he joins a defense that was already elite last season.
The Packers made Parsons the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history and did it with almost no hesitation. Head Coach Matt LaFleur said it best, “What a rare, rare, rare opportunity to get a guy of his caliber.”
Parsons is a generational talent and just signing his second contract ever in the NFL. The Packers got a good one and I’ll be the first to say it; THANK YOU JERRY.
Kings of the North
Green Bay to win the NFC North (+165 via BetOnline)
Prior to the Parsons trade, the Packers sat at +250 to win the division; now that price has dropped to +165 and they’re currently the Vegas favorite to win the North. Not only did Green Bay’s odds to win the division make a drastic shift, but they’re now the team with the 2nd shortest odds to come out of the NFC.
Green Bay now sits at +600 to win the NFC this year and that’s a huge shift from the +1000 odds we saw them at just hours before the trade was announced. Their odds to win the Super Bowl have shifted from +2000 to +1200 in most places, making them the team with the 4th/5th shortest odds to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay went 1-5 against the NFC North last year, going winless against both the Vikings and Lions. Against everyone else? 10-1. The Packers were a force to be reckoned with last year and that was with their star Quarterback only playing 13 full games. Love looks to take another step this year, hopefully getting those turnovers under control.
Through his first two seasons as a full time starter, Love’s thrown 57 touchdowns, averaging 235.9 yards per game with a 96.3 QBR. Despite these numbers, he’s also thrown 22 interceptions in two years, recording all 11 of his interceptions last year in the first eight weeks of games. Hopefully Love can pick up where he left off last year and just leave the interceptions in 2024.
Jerry Jones Strikes Again
For what feels like the 100th time, Jerry Jones has botched another negotiation and Cowboy fans can’t be happy. Last year, Jerry Jones did something similar with his two star offensive players, waiting till the last minute to sign both CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.
It was projected at the time that Jones paid Lamb almost $14 million more than he would have had he not waited till the last year of Lamb’s deal. In what turned out to be a similar situation with the Cowboys QB, Dak Prescott, Jones waited until September of 2024 to sign Prescott to a lucrative $60 million per year deal. Had Jones extended Dak in 2023, the number would have landed much closer to $47-48 million per year; costing the team almost $12 million more.
This time however, Jerry decided to just trade Parsons. Whether you think it was the right call or another botched negotiation, we won’t know until we see both teams take the field.
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