When the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2025 season, Jerry Jones’ decision immediately split opinion. Some viewed it as a necessary move from a salary-cap standpoint. Others felt Dallas had just let go of the heart of its defense. Fast forward to the end of the season, and that debate hasn’t cooled off. Now, Cowboys legend Jimmy Johnson has weighed in with his opinion.

“I didn’t like it at all,” Jimmy said on his recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show when asked about Micah’s trade. “But because he’s a little bit undersized, he’s had a couple of injuries. I just don’t think you get rid of game-changing players. Somehow, some way, you find a way to keep them. And he was a game changer. He really could dominate the game just him individually.”

Even before the Cowboys drafted him in 2021, Parsons made it clear that playing in Dallas was his dream. Once he arrived, he quickly became the cornerstone of the defense. In 63 games with the Cowboys, the pass rusher totaled 172 solo tackles, 84 assists, 52.5 sacks, and four fumble recoveries, numbers that underline exactly why Johnson labeled him a “game changer.”

Then came the 2025 offseason. Parsons pushed for a contract extension, and Johnson’s belief is simple: teams don’t move elite defensive players in their prime. Dallas, however, saw it differently. While several factors played into the decision, the contract dispute sat at the center of it.

Earlier reports suggested Jerry Jones and Parsons had already discussed terms, with both sides positioned to reset the edge-rusher market. Speaking on Michael Irvin’s podcast, Jones explained the contract negotiations. “We were going to send [the terms] over to the agent, and the agent said don’t bother because we’ve got all that to negotiate,” he said.

That deal, though, never materialized amidst a dispute with Micah’s agent. Dallas then traded Parsons to Green Bay in exchange for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Parsons then signed a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers, including $120 million fully guaranteed at signing and $136 million in total guarantees. From that point on, a lot has changed.

Parsons, for one, delivered exactly what Green Bay paid for, at least before his injury. In 14 regular-season games, he recorded 41 combined tackles (19 solo), 12.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles before suffering a season-ending injury. The Cowboys, meanwhile, went on to post one of the worst defensive seasons in the league.

They allowed an NFL-high 30.1 points per game, ranked 30th in total yards allowed at 377 per game, finished 30th in turnovers forced, and sat 27th in sacks. The fallout led to Dallas parting ways with defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, making him the third DC the team has cycled through in as many seasons. And as that played out, Jimmy Johnson didn’t hesitate to take a jab at the defense.

“As far as the Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer did an outstanding job in a difficult situation last year,” Jones said when asked about his thoughts on the Cowboys. “They were just horrible on defense. And I think they can make some corrections on defense.”

Taken together, it’s hard to ignore that Micah Parsons’ trade impacted the Cowboys’ defense in a meaningful way, if not entirely. And while Dallas struggled on that side of the ball after moving on from its star pass rusher, Johnson still acknowledged there was a brighter side to the decision, even as he made it clear the Cowboys paid a steep price for letting a game-changer walk.

Despite not liking Micah Parsons’ trade, Jimmy Johnson says Jerry Jones did the right thing

Heading into the 2026 offseason, a defensive rebuild was widely expected from Jerry Jones. And that’s exactly how things are unfolding. Dallas moved on from Matt Eberflus, let go of three more defensive assistants, brought in Christian Parker as the new defensive coordinator, and is now positioned to add fresh defensive talent to the roster. Because of that broader reset, Jimmy Johnson believes that even though he didn’t like the Micah Parsons trade, Jerry ultimately made the right call.

“They picked up some draft picks, they got a lot of salary cap money, they’re gonna be able to add some players,” he added. “So, Jerry made the right move for what it was because they’re at an impasse as far as Micah Parsons, like I said, if they’ll make some improvement defensively, the Cowboys can make a run at it.”

While trading Parsons clearly hurt Dallas in 2025, the move also left the Cowboys with valuable draft capital to rebuild depth on defense. Heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, Dallas owns two first-round picks. They own their own at No. 12 and Green Bay’s selection at 20. For now, all signs point to Jerry using those picks to target top defensive prospects. How that gamble pays off will start to become clear in April.