Micah Parsons Trade Re-Graded: Packers Earn an A, Cowboys a D After 14 Months

Fourteen months after the Packers sent a package to Dallas for Micah Parsons, the Micah Parsons trade grades have settled into a lopsided verdict: Green Bay earns an A, Dallas a D. The re-evaluation comes with Parsons still sidelined by a torn ACL and meniscus suffered on Dec. 25, 2025, and with the Cowboys defense sinking statistically.

What Each Team Received

The August 2025 deal sent Parsons to Green Bay. Dallas got Kenny Clark, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2027 first-round pick. Green Bay then signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract, making him the highest-paid defensive player by average annual salary.

Parsons’ Green Bay Run So Far

Parsons appeared in 14 of the Packers’ 23 games over two years. He recorded 12.5 sacks in 2025 before the knee injury ended his season. He has not played in the 2026 regular season.

Even without him, Green Bay’s defense has held up. The Packers rank fifth in passing yards allowed per game and are tied for seventh with 14 sacks in five games, a 48-sack pace. Under former coordinator Jeff Hafley, Green Bay had 36 sacks with Parsons. New coordinator Jonathan Gannon has kept the pass rush productive. Edgerrin Cooper leads the team with three sacks but is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The run defense is another matter: Green Bay ranks 24th, a weakness Parsons’ return would not fix.

Dallas’s Return Has Not Delivered

Clark, a three-time Pro Bowler, turned 31 in early October and has three sacks in 2026. The first-round pick Dallas acquired became No. 23 overall after the Cowboys traded down from No. 20 with Philadelphia. Dallas used it on Malachi Lawrence, who has one sack in five games. The player taken one spot earlier, Akheem Mesidor, went to the Chargers at No. 22. Dallas also lost its own first-round pick when it acquired Quinnen Williams from the Jets.

Defensive Decline in Dallas

The Cowboys rank 21st against the pass and 32nd against the run in 2026, allowing 168.4 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per attempt. They have five sacks, a 17-sack pace after recording 35 in 2025. Their run defense was 23rd in 2025 and 29th in Parsons’ last season, 2024. The hiring of coordinator Jonathan Gannon has been viewed as a positive, but the unit’s production has not followed.

Contract Context

Parsons’ $188 million deal set the market. In April, Will Anderson Jr. signed a three-year, $150 million extension with Houston. Dallas moved on from Parsons in his prime at 26 and has felt the impact weekly, according to the source, which states the Cowboys should regret the trade and are disappointed in the return.

The Verdict

Green Bay should have no regrets. Parsons will boost the pass rush when he returns. Dallas, meanwhile, has watched its defense decline in both phases while the players it received have yet to justify the cost.