August 29, 2025 • 15 mins
John Middlekauff REACTS to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys trading their star edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for DT Kenny Clark and 2 1sts. John reaffirms his commitment to the Green Bay Packers as NFC North winners and believes they bolstered their defense to Super Bowl contender status. Next, John debates whether this was the right move for the Dallas Cowboys given the amount of money they've invested into QB Dak Prescott and the offense. John wraps up by debating whether the Parsons trade has similarities to when LA Charges LB Khalil Mack was traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Chicago Bears in the 2018 NFL season.
00:21 - Cowboys trade Micah Parsons to Packers
10:12 - DraftKings
11:30 - Micah Parsons-Khalil Mack trade comparisons
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
The volume, the rivalries, the marching bands, the upset. Saturdays
just got way more fun. College football is back, baby,
Think you know the game. Put your college football knowledge
to the test with DraftKings Sportsbook and turn your picks
into big payoffs, live betting during the game, rivalry.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Week, odds, boosts, and so much more. DraftKings Sportsbook has
you covered. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
There is no bigger game than Saturday Morning Texas Ohio State.
I understand Arch has never started a big game, played
a couple last year, but never anything like this. Ohio
State lost a ton of guys to the draft. I
think this Texas team, if Arch lives up to the hype,
pois to win an addie. I'm taking Texas. I know
(00:48):
it's at the shoe. I know it's a tough environment.
I just think, as Earl Woods used to tell Tiger Woods,
let the legend grow. That's what I would tell Arch Manning.
Go win this game, cover that spread money line, let
the legend grow. And here's something special for first timers.
New customers. Bet just five bucks and get three hundred
(01:09):
and bonus bets. Instantly download the Drafting Sportsbook Gap use
the code John. That's Cojon for new customers to get
three hundred in bonus bets instantly when you bet just
five bucks.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
In partnership with Drafting sportsbook The Crown is Yours.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York
called eight seven seven eight hope and wire text hope
and y four six seven three six nine In Connecticut,
help is available for a problem gambling called eight eight
eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit
CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill
Casino when resorting Kansas twenty one on over agent eligibility
varies by jurisdiction, BOYD and Ontario. Bonus bets expires seven
(01:44):
days after issuance. Four additional terms and responsible gaming resources
see DKNG dot co slash audio.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, we just had some breaking news. I was out
on a walk. My phone starts blowing up. I cruised
back by the pool. I look up and I see
on the television NFL network, and the bartender looks at me.
He's like, can you believe this? I say, I kind
of can't now listen. This news would have been shocking.
Three weeks ago. No one would have believed that Jerry
(02:22):
Jones traded Micah Parsons. But I do think the moment
that everything happened at the last preseason game, showing up
eating Nacho's him laying on the training table a couple
days ago, him him being in the airport claiming he
was going to get a second opinion. It kind of
felt like it was at the point of no return,
and so I guess my initial reaction is I'm not
(02:44):
that surprised that this ended in a divorce.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Now, I think, big picture, you.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Shouldn't be in the business of getting rid of high
end pass rushers. We have seen that happen once for
a guy going into a second contract in the last
six seven years, and it was Khalil Mack when the
Raiders traded him to the Bears, and obviously all pro
helped the Bears immediately become one of the best defenses.
I do think there's potential impact for that. I think
(03:10):
it'll be one of those situations whereas back feels a
lot better when he arrives in the Green Bay facility,
he's on the practice field, I would imagine they're practicing
on Monday. But just a historic move, and I do
think when it comes to the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.
They kind of hit the tipping point of, like, what's
(03:32):
going on. We've been talking a lot about this, the
Jerry Jones Al Davis angle and the situation just being
pretty chaotic, not making much sense. You know, I understand
you couldn't take Mike McCarthy seriously because you thought he
should have got you over the hump in some of
those playoff games. But when you move on from Mike
McCarthy and you go with Brian Schottenheimer, who might be
(03:55):
a nice guy, no one was hiring him to be
their offensive coordinator, let alone their head coach, so maybe
they know, like, we're not going to be that good anyway.
Let's hit the reset button. Let's get a couple ones,
Let's remove that money, give us some wiggle room. We're
obviously paying Dak and Ceedee lambaton. Most people would say,
our defense isn't that good with Micah Parsons on the field.
(04:17):
So basically, hit a huge reset and now it's on
the organization to pivot and make good picks with this Listen,
I picked Green Bay to win this division before this trade.
I think they're gonna be really good. I mean they
won eleven games. Last year, they won one divisional game
and their quarterback got hurt in Week one. So I
would expect the Green Bay Packers to be really good.
(04:37):
So that pick is going to be probably minimum twenty four,
with a chance to be I don't know, as high
as thirty one thirty two. I think they're a Super
Bowl contender. Now get some question marks with the with
the quarterback for sure, and the floor and Gudikins, who
have a new president now with Murphy retiring.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Obviously there's some pressure.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But this is it's kind of the polar off deposit
of typically what both these organizations do. Typically, Jerry has
been very emotional with his guys and giving him huge contracts.
Dak Ceedee, Lamb, Michah Parsons, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant. I
mean he's done it for years and rightfully so, I
mean they were talking Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, really really
high end players.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I don't blame him.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Now, we could argue how the negotiations, how we've waited
to the last second, like how much money as Jerry
cost himself by negotiating against what But like he has
never done this, he has not been Bill Belichick punting
on people. You know, you go back to watching that
documentary when they traded herschel Walker. It's funny how that
(05:40):
move gets remembered. It's like they traded their best player.
They were awful, they were a horrendous football team. That's
not that weird. It's like, remember a couple of years
ago when the Panthers traded McCaffrey. The organization sucked. It
wasn't that weird to trade him. Now, I was four
years old, so I can't exactly go like apples to
apples on all the trades over the course of NFL history.
(06:03):
But when you trade guys in their prime and just
you know, for three straight years you were a twelve
win team and he was your best defensive player, you're
the Dallas Cowboys. It's just it's a historic move, and
it's listen. I give the Packers credit because they took
a lot of shit for a lot of years, especially
with Ted Thompson. You know, they got a lot of
credit for the Aaron Rodgers move, but it was like, hey,
(06:24):
go out and make a big swing, get aggressive, do
something bold. It's like they never quite did this. This
is something that you know, John Schneider has done the
forty nine ers. The Rams obviously have done it. A
ton move Howie Roseman would make. It was always funny
to me whenever I'd see the odds of like the
cow This was like a month ago. If the Cowboys
traded Micaeh Parsons the Eagles, Jerry Jones, you can call
(06:45):
him whatever you want. The last place on this planet
he was ever gonna trade. The Eagles could offer him
seven first rounders, seven second rounders, Lane Johnson agent, he
was never trading him to the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
It was never going to happen.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
But he traded him in the division or not in
the division, but you know, to an NFC team. So
I think you're I get the Cowboys credit on this
one because ultimately this move happens because of Jerry Jones
and obviously Steven Jones as well, their knowledge. We're not
very good, like they're telling you not very good, and
the Packers are telling you, we think we're a player
away because unlike when the Bears traded for Khalil Mack,
(07:22):
they were a player aware on defense and they immediately
became a great defense. They had Mitch Trubisky, who you know,
couldn't make like seven of the nine required throws to
be an NFL quarterback. So it was never gonna this.
Now we're gonna find out about Jordan Love. But they
believe internally we got a guy that we can win
within the playoffs. Hell, a couple of years ago, we
beat the Cowboys, like that's what they're telling themselves. We
have a coach that's won a bunch of playoff games.
(07:44):
We have a defensive coordinator that immediately improved our defense.
This is the thing about the NFL. This is not
Major league Baseball. This is not even basketball, where sometimes like, yeah,
let's just let's trade this guy because we don't want
a max this guy. Every team, the Bengals, the Packers
don't have an owner and pay.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
A guy freights of cash.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
They just gave him one hundred and almost forty million
dollars guaranteed. If Micah Parsons doesn't have his you know,
catastrophic injury, he's going to see every penny of this contract,
like the guaranteed, the non guaranteed, He's going to.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
See it all. And let's be real on this.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
When you make a move like this, you're not just
it's not about Pro Bowls and All Pros. It's about
you becoming the heartbeat of our organization, the heartbeat of
our defense, and helping us make runs in the playoffs.
Because it's different because he was a free agent, but
when Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf signed Reggie White, it
changed the franchise. And obviously he's i mean, one of
(08:38):
the greatest players of all time. I'm not saying Micah
Parsons is that because he's not, like he's not even
the best defensive player in the league, but he's damn good.
And this is a team that has just since what
Clay Matthews fifteen years ago, like who's been there kind
of stalwart up front. Remember they drafted the dude from Iowa.
I think Vanes didn't even start in college. New Flash
(09:00):
hasn't been that good in the pros. But the Gudakins Laflor,
they put their nuts on the table and that sometimes
you got to do that in life, you know, And
and Jerry did too.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
He's like, I'm just I'm over this. We're not good.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I'm not paying three guys that combined five hundred million
dollars to win six seven games. And I do think
with that Eagles game right around the corner on Thursday night.
He just had enough and didn't want to go into
that situation. You know, if you couldn't get a deal
done with Mica, if you weren't willing to pay him
this to just get your teeth kicked in and have
(09:31):
Mike on the sideline eating sunflower seeds in sweats, you know,
with Brian Schottenheimer immediately everyone acting like he's over his head.
It would have been a very, very toxic situation. And
it had gotten weird and toxic, and it had clearly
crossed the line. I would say these last four or
five days in most places now, I think the difference
(09:52):
of the cowboys and organizations. Let's choose the packers like
Gudakins and Laflor did a really really good job when
it got weird with Aaron Rodgers, right, they didn't have
some owner making comments NonStop and adding fuel to the fire.
And listen, maybe Jerry knew that this was going to
be the endgame. Maybe he knew the way this situation
(10:13):
was going to end was going to be in a trade,
and he knew he had offers they had been taking.
Calls got reported when I was you know, lying in bed,
Hawaii might be in America, but it's a different world.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
The time zone's way crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
It's like you just feel completely out of it. So
you're like four hours late, even like six am. You're
checking things that are going on. It's like they're not
just taking calls now, they're listening to them.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
That tells you everything they need to know. Now.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I do think over the last couple of days they
probably realize, like, fuck it, we're.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Not doing this.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
For whatever reason, Jerry wouldn't deal with Mike's agent. You know,
sometimes I think when egos get involved in contracts, especially
of this magnitude, like it's hard to just swallow your pride.
And clearly Jerry's at the point where there's no pride swallowing.
That wasn't gonna happen. And listen, Mo Ghetto wasn't call
his pride either, so it's like, you're not gonna call me.
(11:03):
And it had gotten really weird. And now he's on
the packers because the packers like, yeah, we'll do deal
with the gay.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
What does he want?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Two first round picks Kenny Clark and one hundred and
forty million dollars guaranteed donet see it. And now you
look at the NFC North, that pretty stacked. I had
the Packers winning this division three months ago, two months ago,
one month ago, and again today. I haven't even looked
at the odds, so I'm sure they've got I know,
the Super Bowl odds went from like seventeen to one
to twelve to one. But you know, you look at
(11:31):
the Minnesota Vikings, a lot of pressure on JJ McCarthy,
Caleb Williams does his head coach even like him? And
the Lions two new coordinators. So the Packers land Micah Parsons.
Historic deal, What a moment the NFL man, did we
get one of these every couple of years, an enormous
trade right before the start of the season. And final
(11:52):
thought here, I didn't and this is just hit record
and let a rip. So I'm just kind of freelancing here.
You know, the PA the the Cowboys play the Eagles
from recording this in about seven days, and the Eagles
are basically a touchdown favorite. Now granted they're at home
and they're defending Super Bowl champs, that thing could get.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Really, really ugly.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And sometimes when you have the negativity of a move
like this and I had a front row seat. I
lived in the Bay Area. I was talking and covering.
I hate that word covering. I'm not a beat reporter,
but for my business like, I talked a lot about
the Raiders and had been around that team a lot,
and that move with Khalil Mack, it just hung over
like a dark cloud for several years, and I just wondering, Listen,
(12:38):
I would take Khalil Mack in his prime at the
same age over Michael Parsons, but very similar situations. So
you get that elephant in the room of Micah Parsons
going to this bright Lights team, this team that plays
in a ton of Marquee games. It can be hard
to shake that situation. You know, this guy that felt
like he was was gonna be a cowboy for a
(12:59):
decade a minimum to now being on the Green Bay Packers.
It's one thing when you just kick a guy into
oblivion and you just send them to like the Jags, people.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Like you, middle guy. Have you always beat on the Jacks?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
I'm sorry, it's just the team that comes to mind.
But when you send them to the Green Bay Packers,
who even when they're not as good, are still good
and feel like a lock to basically always be in
the playoffs. It can feel worse. Now here's the thing, like,
what's Jerry gonna do?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Fire his GM.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You know, this isn't a Joe Shane moment on the
phone talking about Saquon Barkley. Jerry's the boss. Jerry makes
all these decisions. Like this is the thing about Brian Schottenheimer.
We know he has no juice, Like it's like what
players looking at Brian Schottenheimer like he's making any important decisions.
Of course not, that's not the way it works. But
this feels like it can be a black cloud over
(13:46):
the organization and some of the parallels with Al Davis.
You know when they got JaMarcus Russell and then it
just it just started getting really really weird at the end.
And that's kind of what it feels like right now
with Jerry and ton of pressure. I mean, the pressure
all falls on Dak, you know. I mean, let's face it.
Part of the reason that they pay him a lot
of money isn't because these mahomes are Josh Allen. It's
(14:08):
all the intangible shut stuff. Incredible leader, incredible, like just
guy with the team running, handling the offense, handling the
personalities in the locker room. He's kind of the heartbeat
of like their character standpoint of the intangibles of the
of the Dallas Cowboys. And now even more falls on
him because unlike the last couple of years, like Mike
(14:28):
McCarthy was a grown up, won a ton of games
and handled Aaron Rodgers and handled the Brett Farvar situation,
had been under the bright like Brian Schottenneimer. I know
he comes from you know, NFL royalty, of very famous
dad who had a ton of success in the league
for a long time. But this is a guy over
fifty years old. There was never going to be a
head coach. And now the pressure to me kind of
(14:49):
circumvents him because no one even takes him seriously to
begin with, and goes on the quarterback and maybe Jerry
goes that's what we're paying him sixty million dollars a
year for.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
But man, I just I think this thing could get ugly,
and it can get ugly really fast. The volume
The volume, the rivalries, the marching bands, the upset. Saturdays
just got way more fun. College football is back, baby,
Think you know the game. Put your college football knowledge
to the test with DraftKings Sportsbook and turn your picks
into big payoffs, live betting during the game, rivalry.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Week, odds, boosts, and so much more. DraftKings Sportsbook has
you covered. Here's the thing.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
There is no bigger game than Saturday Morning Texas Ohio State.
I understand Arch has never started a big game, played
a couple last year, but never anything like this. Ohio
State lost a ton of guys to the draft. I
think this Texas team, if Arch lives up to the hype,
pois to win an addie. I'm taking Texas. I know
(00:48):
it's at the shoe. I know it's a tough environment.
I just think, as Earl Woods used to tell Tiger Woods,
let the legend grow. That's what I would tell Arch Manning.
Go win this game, cover that spread money line, let
the legend grow. And here's something special for first timers.
New customers. Bet just five bucks and get three hundred
(01:09):
and bonus bets. Instantly download the Drafting Sportsbook Gap use
the code John. That's Cojon for new customers to get
three hundred in bonus bets instantly when you bet just
five bucks.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
In partnership with Drafting sportsbook The Crown is Yours.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York
called eight seven seven eight hope and wire text hope
and y four six seven three six nine In Connecticut,
help is available for a problem gambling called eight eight
eight seven eight nine seven seven seven seven or visit
CCPG dot org. Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill
Casino when resorting Kansas twenty one on over agent eligibility
varies by jurisdiction, BOYD and Ontario. Bonus bets expires seven
(01:44):
days after issuance. Four additional terms and responsible gaming resources
see DKNG dot co slash audio.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Well, we just had some breaking news. I was out
on a walk. My phone starts blowing up. I cruised
back by the pool. I look up and I see
on the television NFL network, and the bartender looks at me.
He's like, can you believe this? I say, I kind
of can't now listen. This news would have been shocking.
Three weeks ago. No one would have believed that Jerry
(02:22):
Jones traded Micah Parsons. But I do think the moment
that everything happened at the last preseason game, showing up
eating Nacho's him laying on the training table a couple
days ago, him him being in the airport claiming he
was going to get a second opinion. It kind of
felt like it was at the point of no return,
and so I guess my initial reaction is I'm not
(02:44):
that surprised that this ended in a divorce.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
Now, I think, big picture, you.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Shouldn't be in the business of getting rid of high
end pass rushers. We have seen that happen once for
a guy going into a second contract in the last
six seven years, and it was Khalil Mack when the
Raiders traded him to the Bears, and obviously all pro
helped the Bears immediately become one of the best defenses.
I do think there's potential impact for that. I think
(03:10):
it'll be one of those situations whereas back feels a
lot better when he arrives in the Green Bay facility,
he's on the practice field, I would imagine they're practicing
on Monday. But just a historic move, and I do
think when it comes to the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.
They kind of hit the tipping point of, like, what's
(03:32):
going on. We've been talking a lot about this, the
Jerry Jones Al Davis angle and the situation just being
pretty chaotic, not making much sense. You know, I understand
you couldn't take Mike McCarthy seriously because you thought he
should have got you over the hump in some of
those playoff games. But when you move on from Mike
McCarthy and you go with Brian Schottenheimer, who might be
(03:55):
a nice guy, no one was hiring him to be
their offensive coordinator, let alone their head coach, so maybe
they know, like, we're not going to be that good anyway.
Let's hit the reset button. Let's get a couple ones,
Let's remove that money, give us some wiggle room. We're
obviously paying Dak and Ceedee lambaton. Most people would say,
our defense isn't that good with Micah Parsons on the field.
(04:17):
So basically, hit a huge reset and now it's on
the organization to pivot and make good picks with this Listen,
I picked Green Bay to win this division before this trade.
I think they're gonna be really good. I mean they
won eleven games. Last year, they won one divisional game
and their quarterback got hurt in Week one. So I
would expect the Green Bay Packers to be really good.
(04:37):
So that pick is going to be probably minimum twenty four,
with a chance to be I don't know, as high
as thirty one thirty two. I think they're a Super
Bowl contender. Now get some question marks with the with
the quarterback for sure, and the floor and Gudikins, who
have a new president now with Murphy retiring.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Obviously there's some pressure.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
But this is it's kind of the polar off deposit
of typically what both these organizations do. Typically, Jerry has
been very emotional with his guys and giving him huge contracts.
Dak Ceedee, Lamb, Michah Parsons, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant. I
mean he's done it for years and rightfully so, I
mean they were talking Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, really really
high end players.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
I don't blame him.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
Now, we could argue how the negotiations, how we've waited
to the last second, like how much money as Jerry
cost himself by negotiating against what But like he has
never done this, he has not been Bill Belichick punting
on people. You know, you go back to watching that
documentary when they traded herschel Walker. It's funny how that
(05:40):
move gets remembered. It's like they traded their best player.
They were awful, they were a horrendous football team. That's
not that weird. It's like, remember a couple of years
ago when the Panthers traded McCaffrey. The organization sucked. It
wasn't that weird to trade him. Now, I was four
years old, so I can't exactly go like apples to
apples on all the trades over the course of NFL history.
(06:03):
But when you trade guys in their prime and just
you know, for three straight years you were a twelve
win team and he was your best defensive player, you're
the Dallas Cowboys. It's just it's a historic move, and
it's listen. I give the Packers credit because they took
a lot of shit for a lot of years, especially
with Ted Thompson. You know, they got a lot of
credit for the Aaron Rodgers move, but it was like, hey,
(06:24):
go out and make a big swing, get aggressive, do
something bold. It's like they never quite did this. This
is something that you know, John Schneider has done the
forty nine ers. The Rams obviously have done it. A
ton move Howie Roseman would make. It was always funny
to me whenever I'd see the odds of like the
cow This was like a month ago. If the Cowboys
traded Micaeh Parsons the Eagles, Jerry Jones, you can call
(06:45):
him whatever you want. The last place on this planet
he was ever gonna trade. The Eagles could offer him
seven first rounders, seven second rounders, Lane Johnson agent, he
was never trading him to the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
It was never going to happen.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
But he traded him in the division or not in
the division, but you know, to an NFC team. So
I think you're I get the Cowboys credit on this
one because ultimately this move happens because of Jerry Jones
and obviously Steven Jones as well, their knowledge. We're not
very good, like they're telling you not very good, and
the Packers are telling you, we think we're a player
away because unlike when the Bears traded for Khalil Mack,
(07:22):
they were a player aware on defense and they immediately
became a great defense. They had Mitch Trubisky, who you know,
couldn't make like seven of the nine required throws to
be an NFL quarterback. So it was never gonna this.
Now we're gonna find out about Jordan Love. But they
believe internally we got a guy that we can win
within the playoffs. Hell, a couple of years ago, we
beat the Cowboys, like that's what they're telling themselves. We
have a coach that's won a bunch of playoff games.
(07:44):
We have a defensive coordinator that immediately improved our defense.
This is the thing about the NFL. This is not
Major league Baseball. This is not even basketball, where sometimes like, yeah,
let's just let's trade this guy because we don't want
a max this guy. Every team, the Bengals, the Packers
don't have an owner and pay.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
A guy freights of cash.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
They just gave him one hundred and almost forty million
dollars guaranteed. If Micah Parsons doesn't have his you know,
catastrophic injury, he's going to see every penny of this contract,
like the guaranteed, the non guaranteed, He's going to.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
See it all. And let's be real on this.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
When you make a move like this, you're not just
it's not about Pro Bowls and All Pros. It's about
you becoming the heartbeat of our organization, the heartbeat of
our defense, and helping us make runs in the playoffs.
Because it's different because he was a free agent, but
when Mike Holmgren and Ron Wolf signed Reggie White, it
changed the franchise. And obviously he's i mean, one of
(08:38):
the greatest players of all time. I'm not saying Micah
Parsons is that because he's not, like he's not even
the best defensive player in the league, but he's damn good.
And this is a team that has just since what
Clay Matthews fifteen years ago, like who's been there kind
of stalwart up front. Remember they drafted the dude from Iowa.
I think Vanes didn't even start in college. New Flash
(09:00):
hasn't been that good in the pros. But the Gudakins Laflor,
they put their nuts on the table and that sometimes
you got to do that in life, you know, And
and Jerry did too.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
He's like, I'm just I'm over this. We're not good.
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I'm not paying three guys that combined five hundred million
dollars to win six seven games. And I do think
with that Eagles game right around the corner on Thursday night.
He just had enough and didn't want to go into
that situation. You know, if you couldn't get a deal
done with Mica, if you weren't willing to pay him
this to just get your teeth kicked in and have
(09:31):
Mike on the sideline eating sunflower seeds in sweats, you know,
with Brian Schottenheimer immediately everyone acting like he's over his head.
It would have been a very, very toxic situation. And
it had gotten weird and toxic, and it had clearly
crossed the line. I would say these last four or
five days in most places now, I think the difference
(09:52):
of the cowboys and organizations. Let's choose the packers like
Gudakins and Laflor did a really really good job when
it got weird with Aaron Rodgers, right, they didn't have
some owner making comments NonStop and adding fuel to the fire.
And listen, maybe Jerry knew that this was going to
be the endgame. Maybe he knew the way this situation
(10:13):
was going to end was going to be in a trade,
and he knew he had offers they had been taking.
Calls got reported when I was you know, lying in bed,
Hawaii might be in America, but it's a different world.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
The time zone's way crazy.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
It's like you just feel completely out of it. So
you're like four hours late, even like six am. You're
checking things that are going on. It's like they're not
just taking calls now, they're listening to them.
Speaker 2 (10:34):
That tells you everything they need to know. Now.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
I do think over the last couple of days they
probably realize, like, fuck it, we're.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Not doing this.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
For whatever reason, Jerry wouldn't deal with Mike's agent. You know,
sometimes I think when egos get involved in contracts, especially
of this magnitude, like it's hard to just swallow your pride.
And clearly Jerry's at the point where there's no pride swallowing.
That wasn't gonna happen. And listen, Mo Ghetto wasn't call
his pride either, so it's like, you're not gonna call me.
(11:03):
And it had gotten really weird. And now he's on
the packers because the packers like, yeah, we'll do deal
with the gay.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
What does he want?
Speaker 1 (11:08):
Two first round picks Kenny Clark and one hundred and
forty million dollars guaranteed donet see it. And now you
look at the NFC North, that pretty stacked. I had
the Packers winning this division three months ago, two months ago,
one month ago, and again today. I haven't even looked
at the odds, so I'm sure they've got I know,
the Super Bowl odds went from like seventeen to one
to twelve to one. But you know, you look at
(11:31):
the Minnesota Vikings, a lot of pressure on JJ McCarthy,
Caleb Williams does his head coach even like him? And
the Lions two new coordinators. So the Packers land Micah Parsons.
Historic deal, What a moment the NFL man, did we
get one of these every couple of years, an enormous
trade right before the start of the season. And final
(11:52):
thought here, I didn't and this is just hit record
and let a rip. So I'm just kind of freelancing here.
You know, the PA the the Cowboys play the Eagles
from recording this in about seven days, and the Eagles
are basically a touchdown favorite. Now granted they're at home
and they're defending Super Bowl champs, that thing could get.
Speaker 2 (12:12):
Really, really ugly.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
And sometimes when you have the negativity of a move
like this and I had a front row seat. I
lived in the Bay Area. I was talking and covering.
I hate that word covering. I'm not a beat reporter,
but for my business like, I talked a lot about
the Raiders and had been around that team a lot,
and that move with Khalil Mack, it just hung over
like a dark cloud for several years, and I just wondering, Listen,
(12:38):
I would take Khalil Mack in his prime at the
same age over Michael Parsons, but very similar situations. So
you get that elephant in the room of Micah Parsons
going to this bright Lights team, this team that plays
in a ton of Marquee games. It can be hard
to shake that situation. You know, this guy that felt
like he was was gonna be a cowboy for a
(12:59):
decade a minimum to now being on the Green Bay Packers.
It's one thing when you just kick a guy into
oblivion and you just send them to like the Jags, people.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Like you, middle guy. Have you always beat on the Jacks?
Speaker 1 (13:10):
I'm sorry, it's just the team that comes to mind.
But when you send them to the Green Bay Packers,
who even when they're not as good, are still good
and feel like a lock to basically always be in
the playoffs. It can feel worse. Now here's the thing, like,
what's Jerry gonna do?
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Fire his GM.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
You know, this isn't a Joe Shane moment on the
phone talking about Saquon Barkley. Jerry's the boss. Jerry makes
all these decisions. Like this is the thing about Brian Schottenheimer.
We know he has no juice, Like it's like what
players looking at Brian Schottenheimer like he's making any important decisions.
Of course not, that's not the way it works. But
this feels like it can be a black cloud over
(13:46):
the organization and some of the parallels with Al Davis.
You know when they got JaMarcus Russell and then it
just it just started getting really really weird at the end.
And that's kind of what it feels like right now
with Jerry and ton of pressure. I mean, the pressure
all falls on Dak, you know. I mean, let's face it.
Part of the reason that they pay him a lot
of money isn't because these mahomes are Josh Allen. It's
(14:08):
all the intangible shut stuff. Incredible leader, incredible, like just
guy with the team running, handling the offense, handling the
personalities in the locker room. He's kind of the heartbeat
of like their character standpoint of the intangibles of the
of the Dallas Cowboys. And now even more falls on
him because unlike the last couple of years, like Mike
(14:28):
McCarthy was a grown up, won a ton of games
and handled Aaron Rodgers and handled the Brett Farvar situation,
had been under the bright like Brian Schottenneimer. I know
he comes from you know, NFL royalty, of very famous
dad who had a ton of success in the league
for a long time. But this is a guy over
fifty years old. There was never going to be a
head coach. And now the pressure to me kind of
(14:49):
circumvents him because no one even takes him seriously to
begin with, and goes on the quarterback and maybe Jerry
goes that's what we're paying him sixty million dollars a
year for.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
But man, I just I think this thing could get ugly,
and it can get ugly really fast. The volume
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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