The Insiders Podcast: Cowboys Trade Micah Parsons to Packers in Blockbuster Move!

NFL Network Insiders Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport, Judy Battista, and Mike Garafolo react to the stunning news that the Dallas Cowboys have traded 2x All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round draft picks. Jane Slater and Stacey Dales break down the significance of this blockbuster trade for both the Cowboys and Packers. Former Packers safety LeRoy Butler joins the Insiders to discuss how this move compares to the historic trade that brought Brett Favre to Green Bay. Then, Brian Baldinger and Marc Ross analyze what Micah Parsons will bring to the Packers' defense and how the Cowboys will adjust after losing their perennial Pro Bowler. Finally, we head to Frisco, Texas, where Jerry and Stephen Jones address the media, explaining why they made the decision to part ways with Parsons and how they plan to leverage their draft picks to strengthen the team.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
The Pride is the prod up out the prodist the
person Parson.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Puts him down.

Speaker 3 (00:10):
It bust the Bama.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
He's sacked again. Wown never turnover talk. I mean he
extre love it and Bryce you never had a genu.
So he gets going like that. It is er like
he is punting.

Speaker 4 (00:25):
You know about Beaver players.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Mom Bro, get used to that image. Packers, fans, and
everybody else across the NFL. Michah Parsons is now a Packer.
Jerry Jones is rebuilding, and we got sixty minutes to

(00:49):
tell you everything we know. Welcome inside with the insiders
alongside Ian Rappingport, Judy Battistaid Mike Garafalo. I am Tom Pelicero.
Thirty minute from right now, we anticipate a press conference
with the Cowboys. We will bring that to you live
to hear the explanation from the Dallas end on why

(01:10):
ultimately they traded away one of the most dynamic young
players regardless of position in the NFL. Meanwhile, it is
the Packers who benefit. This is the blockbuster of blockbusters
coming on August twenty eighth. In case you missed at
the breaking news Packers acquiring MARKA Parsons from the Cowboys

(01:31):
in the stage for two first round picks plus defensive
tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons also gets a four year, one
hundred and eighty eight million dollar contract extension in Green Bay.
Ian That is a huge package. That is a huge contract.
How and why did this get done? Now?

Speaker 5 (01:52):
The headlines are as massive as they can be. Micah Parsons,
one of the best, maybe the best defender in the NFL,
going to the Green Bay Packers getting that huge contract
you mentioned, four years, one hundred and eighty eight million
dollars in a deal done by David Mulligan and Andre
odom of athletes. First, it's splashy. It's as splashy as
it could be. The reality is this deal was done

(02:13):
really in secrecy. My understanding is about two days ago.
Two days ago the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys reaching
agreement on terms to send Micah Parsons from the Cowboys
to the Packers. The deal was done, they had agreed
on compensation, but it was far from actually done because
along with this, Micah Parsons needed a new contract with

(02:34):
the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
He was off.

Speaker 5 (02:35):
Remember, Jerry Jones tried to negotiate directly with him. It
was a five year deal with more than forty million dollars.

Speaker 1 (02:41):
That's what the Cowboys wanted to pay him.

Speaker 5 (02:43):
Two days later, after the agreement was struck on a trade,
Micah Parsons ends up with forty seven million dollars per
year new money on a.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Four year deal.

Speaker 5 (02:53):
That's an unbelievable raise, destroys the market for top overall
non quarterback, puts Parsons in quarterback territory, and lands the
Green Bay Packers with one of the premiere players in
the NFL. Cowboys do get their two first round picks
and Kenny Clark, but massive all round.

Speaker 6 (03:13):
There is no way to look at this as anything
other than a step back, a significant step back for
the Dallas Cowboys. There's no other spin to it. They
just traded their best player, who plays a premium position,
who is in the prime of his career.

Speaker 7 (03:29):
They traded him away. It's not the herschel Walker trade.

Speaker 6 (03:31):
They ended up with eight draft picks from the herschel
Walker trade, including three first rounders. They got two first
rounders here. That's really good. Draft picks are projections. Every
year we talk about draft picks, including first rounders that
don't pan out. These are probably going to be lower
first round draft picks that they get because the Green
Bay Packers were projected to be pretty good anyway, and

(03:53):
now they just got a whole lot better by adding
Michael Parsons. So these are not going to be top
of the first round draft pick and eventually they're going
to have to replace Micah Parsons with somebody else, except
they already had Michael Parsons in the building in the
prime of his career.

Speaker 1 (04:09):
This is a step back.

Speaker 6 (04:11):
Maybe it is a positioning for the future, but the
future is several years away. Even the herschel Walker trade
took a few years to come together and get all
the pieces in place to make the Super Bowl run.
They haven't been to a Super Bowl in three decades
in Dallas, and now they.

Speaker 7 (04:28):
Just seemingly put it off for a few years longer.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
There was that trade request, and we mentioned a couple
of times, including with other situations, that sometimes a trade
request is a negotiating tactic.

Speaker 1 (04:40):
I don't think that this one was.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
I think that he was genuinely upset by the lack
of communication. But that being said, I still think this
could have been salvaged. And I think the Cowboys if
they had had those negotiations the last couple of days
on the contract that Ian alluded to, that this deal
could have been done and Michael Parsons would have gone
back to the Cowboys and everybody it would have been happy.
But the Cowboys were standing on business saying, we did

(05:03):
this deal a while ago. Don't care that the agent
wants to do it with him. That's the deal that
we had done. We're not going back on it. So
at that point, Michael Parsons says, okay, let's focus more
towards the trade the.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Cowboys as well. The deal gets done.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
From everything I hear, and I find this funny because
Aaron Rodgers in the past had referenced that Green Bay
wasn't exactly a destination for free agents and the like
Michael Parson's over the Moon, you don't even have to
hear it from me. David Bolagetta on his Instagram, his
agent posted this picture.

Speaker 1 (05:32):
You can see the joy on this man's face.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
Would this have been his preference at the start, No,
staying in Dallas would have been, but after everything that happened,
the way he was treated, this is the joy of
a man that's finally getting what he wants, and that
joy is going to be echoed by everyone.

Speaker 1 (05:47):
In Green Bay.

Speaker 2 (05:49):
This is now going to change the whole vibe, the
whole atmosphere there in Green Bay. It is going to
be unbelievable, and it's going to be a joke, not
just for their defense, for their tire locker room.

Speaker 1 (05:59):
Michael Parsons played college football in State College Pennsylvania. He
is used to playing in a town like Green Bay
that really revolves everything around the team. He's also close
with Jordan Love, who has the same agent, David Mullagetta,
as Michael Parsons. So there are some connections and this
is the type of trade we just haven't seen the
Packers make. They had not traded a first round pick,

(06:20):
much less two in any deal since they got a
guy named Brett Favre back in nineteen ninety two, which
certainly worked out pretty well for the organization. So you're
talking about a rare, bold stroke from an organization that
traditionally has been very much in the draft and develop mode.
They value those draft pick because that's your young, cheap workforce. Well,
they gave up two first round picks for a known

(06:42):
commodity in Michael Parsons. They put a ton of money
on the line. You know that Jeff Hafley, the defensive
coordinator somewhere, is already figuring out all the different ways
that he can use Michah Parsons on the field. And
I got a text from Matt Lafleur earlier today, short version,
cleaned up version of what he said, I cannot sit down.
You also saw a reaction across the NFL from current

(07:04):
and former players. Certainly we all got a lot of
text messages for various people around the NFL as well.
And our Jane Slater spoke earlier today with Micah Parsons
about his reaction to the trade.

Speaker 5 (07:18):
Ian And so let's do our viewers a favor and
bring in our good friend Jane Slater the show more
than just the tweet that we showed right there, but
to give us some insight in context into that conversation. Hi, Jane,
great work on this trade. Work with you and Tom Pelisero.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
On breaking it.

Speaker 5 (07:35):
You talked to Micah, you know the cowboys better than everyone.

Speaker 1 (07:39):
Tell me what we need to know. Thank you.

Speaker 8 (07:42):
I you know, obviously I wanted to reach out to Micah.
After this, we saw he put out a statement. Obviously
his reaction there on David Mulagetta's Instagram page, but I
wanted to get his sense of things and I found
this very interesting. As you saw in the tweet, he
says he and his team went back to the Cowboys
about an extension and he used the word with empathy.

Speaker 9 (08:03):
When the trade interest was leaked this week.

Speaker 8 (08:05):
The Cowboys response, according to Parsons, was play on the
fifth year or leave now. I got an update about
five oh seven this morning that there is going to
be a press conference at six point.

Speaker 9 (08:15):
Thirty at the Star Rush hour traffick in Dallas.

Speaker 8 (08:18):
Means I'm not going to get there in time, but
I am curious to hear what their version of the
events is.

Speaker 9 (08:24):
I will say that we started to see that things.

Speaker 8 (08:26):
Were moving differently within the last i'd say forty eight
hours forty eight to seventy two hours this week, and
I think some of it really began to stand with
that final straw. As small as it was, it was
a big deal within the building. When you saw Micah
Parsons Laney laying on the training table during that preseason game.
This is a guy who had gone to Jerry Jones

(08:47):
said he wants to be a leader, he wants to
do more for this team. And I think that in
combination with it being leaked that there was a grievance
being filed over whether he was a defensive end or
a linebacker, and then going to get a second opinion
on his back.

Speaker 10 (09:02):
That.

Speaker 8 (09:04):
Forced the organization to essentially go to Jerry and say, Jerry,
we have to seriously consider getting something for this generational
type player.

Speaker 9 (09:13):
And the Packers, through.

Speaker 8 (09:15):
The media, whether it came from them or not, made
it very clear that there was an interest internally, and
I think it would have been negligent of the Cowboys
not to seriously consider such an offer on the table.
And it's interesting that we just had the Gambler come out,
and the last time the Cowboys did anything of this
magnitude was the Herschel Walker trade, and our remind Cowboys

(09:36):
fans those were some difficult two years afterwards, but it
did help you reset the franchise.

Speaker 9 (09:42):
The big question I keep getting in Dallas.

Speaker 8 (09:44):
Is, well, okay, they got the Cowboys got two first
round picks, and they got what player that's going to
make an impact? Well, it's defensive tackle Kenny Clark, and
I was told, even though he's thirty years old, he
is a three time Pro bowler and this is a guy.

Speaker 9 (09:58):
That should start over Mazzie Smith. He's that good at
that position.

Speaker 8 (10:02):
And if you look at Matti Eberflues, he's really been
stockpiling the defensive line.

Speaker 9 (10:06):
So I know this wasn't Michael Carson's.

Speaker 8 (10:08):
First choice, right, But I think in the end, Micah
wanted to go somewhere where he felt celebrated, and I
think in the end things reached a point where he
felt like he could not negotiate. He was being held
sort of in a deal jail. And now I think
he's excited to go to an organization and a fan
base that's looking forward to it. Because I will tell

(10:31):
you here in Dallas, especially after the Jerry Jones Michael
Urban interview, I started to really see fans sentiments sort
of change for Micah.

Speaker 11 (10:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (10:40):
I mean no doubt the reactions are going to pour
in from the Dallas Cowboye. We're going to get some
of them later on our show, whether Jane can make
it through traffic or not. I'm really curious what happens
when the Cowboys locker room gets opened as well. What
do the players think of losing their best player right
before kickoff? A lot of reaction to get to and
for that, I'd take you to Tom Posa. That's one

(11:01):
big upside to moving to Green Bay. No traffic whatsoever,
truly in the city. You can get anywhere you want.
It's really easy. Michael Parsons hopes that.

Speaker 1 (11:10):
He's maybe getting into the stands at Lambeau Field for
a Lambeau leap, the good folks and Matt and already
getting ahead of the game right there by putting him
in the game. As we welcome our Stacy Dales into
the insider Stacy, you spend so much time around that
Packers team, we haven't seen them make these types of
bold moves, much less giving up the picks a player,

(11:33):
the huge contract to a guy from outside the building.
You heard this news today, knowing that organization as well
as you do. What was your reaction?

Speaker 12 (11:43):
Well, Tom, you're one hundred percent correct. Love the dialogue.
This is seismic. It's unprecedented because, as you just alluded to,
these aren't things that Brian Gudukunst, the general manager and
company typically do in Green Bay. The clearer message is
that we are coming to take the North back. We
are going to take it away from everybody else. And
that's that's you talk about celebration. That's what they're doing

(12:06):
in that building because of the addition of Micah Parsons.
Let me tell you why the Packers wanted him so badly.

Speaker 9 (12:12):
Pass rush win rate, what does that mean?

Speaker 12 (12:15):
Measures how often a pass rusher beats the opposing blockers
so at the line of scrimmage in a certain amount
of times about two and a half seconds, and therefore
generates the quarterback pressure or a tackle for loss, something
to affect the passer. Right, Tom Well, the Packers had
a forty two percent pass rush win rate last season.
That's seventeenth in the NFL. They were seventeenth in terms

(12:37):
of quarterback hits, they had eighty seven of them. They
dropped to twentieth with a thirty percent quarterback pressure percentage
and then thirty first eighteen percent when it comes to
the blitz rate, So Jeff Halfley had to manufacture ways
to rush the passer. Rashan Gary was their best pass
rusher last season, and he did a number of different

(12:59):
things at the line of scrimmage. Whether the Packers did
blitz occasionally. As you see here on our full screen,
Micah Parsons right at the top with twelve plus sacks
each of the last four seasons that he's played, and
then there are the Packers below him. Rashawn Gary first
Pro Bowl selection in twenty four. I think he had

(13:19):
seven and a half sacks last year. Kway Walker was
in the mix with a whole bunch of tackles. Nate
Hobbs they obviously extended there with that contract, and then
Xavier mckinne, who you know, Tom was a ballhawk extraordinary
for Green Bay and Jeff Hafley. But what's really important
is those twenty excuse me, twelve plus sacks for Michael

(13:41):
Parsons over the last four seasons. The Packers have not
had a defender finished with ten or more sacks since
twenty twenty, so five seasons ago.

Speaker 7 (13:49):
That guy was Zadarius Smith. I think he had twelve and.

Speaker 12 (13:51):
A half, and even Michaeh Parsons, Tom missing four games
last season, right, he still had at least seventy pressures
in the NFL, and he was right behind Miles Garrett
in that pass rush win rate right around twenty percent,
so just behind Miles Garrett. That is why the Packers
made this decision, and he's certainly still very young in

(14:14):
his career. This is a monster move and I've been
getting text messages all day from people around the NFC North.
Everybody's eyes are wide open right now.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
I know the Packers really like their young defensive tackles too,
to make up for what they're losing with a guy
and Kenny Clark, who's played a ton of football for
this team too. Now you got Michael Parsons, you can
play in different spots. Maybe you can move Lucas van
Ness inside and some of those passing down Stacy.

Speaker 12 (14:41):
Yeah, listen, I just real quick, I have the Chargers
in chiefs next week in Brazil. I was just on
the phone with Khalil mack Remember what happened in twenty
eighteen the Bears a couple firsts they go get him
from the Raiders, almost like a deja vu type move.
But we had quite a chuckle over this one because
he's a big fan of Michael Parson.

Speaker 1 (15:02):
And the structure too of this deal. The trade compensation
was very much based on what they got for Khalil Mack.
Way back in twenty eighteen. Stacy, thank you very much.
I know you and everybody else to me tuned in
for this one is if you weren't already Packers at Cowboys.
That is Week four National TV Sunday Night Football on NBC.
Michah Parson's return to Dalla one of the biggest bombshell

(15:27):
trades we have had in recent NFL history. Micah Parsons
headed to Green Bay get a four year, one hundred
and eighty eight million dollar contract extension from the Packers.
The Cowboys get two first round picks and nose tackle
Kenny Clark. As Ian reported a short time ago, I've
gotten a lot of techs. I've seen a lot of tweets.

(15:49):
I've seen Leroy Butler among others, using the words Reggie
White in all caps when you're invoking that. You know
this is a big moment in Packer's history. We're lucky
enough to have Leroy Butler with us right now on
the Insiders with me, Tom Pelicero and Ian Rappaport. Leroy
back in nineteen ninety three, you're a young player on

(16:09):
that Packers team. You hear the news one of the
greatest pass rushers in the league is coming to green Bay.
Tell me what it was like to relive. If not
the same type of moment, it's only a similar type
of moment from your perspective today.

Speaker 13 (16:24):
Thank you for having me, Tom. And the thing about
the Reggie White signing, he was a free agent. He
sued the league to be a free agent, so it
was huge and what the smallest market. So what he's
never coming to the Packers. Well, God is good. Not
only did he come, but he changed the culture. This

(16:45):
is similar. Although I know it's a trade, and I
would say this full disclosure, Bread Farm is the best
biggest trade ever in Patacker history. This rivals Dad because
of the culture of having for two years in a
row having it having the youngest team in the league,

(17:07):
and to get a player like this as an inscending
player only in his sport year and by Reggie White.
Only Michael Parsons and Reggie White has done this over
the last four years.

Speaker 4 (17:21):
So we're very happy.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Should be happy.

Speaker 7 (17:24):
Obviously.

Speaker 5 (17:25):
The reaction from from Green Bay, from the organization and
from doubt the city is uh over the top right now,
as it should be just speaking football wise, not culture,
but just football wise.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
You know how good.

Speaker 5 (17:38):
Michael Parsons has been for the Dallas Cowboys. You know, uh,
this defense for the Packers, Now, what kind of impact
is he going to make?

Speaker 13 (17:47):
And what is good do is something that Happily has
always talked about going down to the quarterback. I mean,
if you think about it, their defense.

Speaker 11 (17:58):
Was a young defense.

Speaker 13 (17:59):
They got a lot of eternal overs, but the sacks
weren't there. Michael Parsons affects everything, especially when you open
up with a team that really triggers me, like Detroit.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
It's disclosure.

Speaker 13 (18:16):
Michael Parson was my favorite non Packer in the league,
so I've always enjoyed all the way back to Penn State.
This guy means a lot for.

Speaker 1 (18:26):
The culture of Green Bay.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
You know what.

Speaker 1 (18:28):
It elevates everybody's.

Speaker 13 (18:29):
Game amongst a lot of young players. This is gonna
do amazing for this and I think the thing that
really held it up in we had to find out
if we had the money first, because he's gonna be
paid a lot of money. And shout out to russ
Ball and Brian Gudekuz we got the money, so we

(18:51):
got the player.

Speaker 1 (18:54):
Last thing for you, Leroy, so I know right now
you are about to arrive at the Packers Hall of
Fame Bank which of Memory Services in the atrium of
lambeau Field. It's all the greatest packers across history, including yourself.
You have to be getting like texts and calls from
the guys right you walk in. What is everybody going
to be saying to each other about this move?

Speaker 11 (19:17):
Great question?

Speaker 13 (19:18):
But when David Singer called me, I come out of
the dinner.

Speaker 11 (19:21):
And talk to you guys. It's very important.

Speaker 13 (19:23):
It's history because of all of the people saying the
Packers would never do that. Not only would we do it,
not only would we do it, but now we want
all the smoke to try to get to a super Bowl. Okay,
And this was therapy for me because when I go

(19:45):
in there and they're gonna Hundre Martin Murphy, the first
question is he gonna wear number eleven? I say, don't
worry about number eleven. Close that chapter. We're number thirty six.
It's my number.

Speaker 1 (19:59):
Wow, that's why he's the best, right there, Lauri. Butller
you enjoy the banquet tonight. We'll be looking for you
live tweeting everybody's reactions. So we appreciate it. Man, Thank
you so much.

Speaker 11 (20:11):
One of my favorite shows.

Speaker 1 (20:16):
So we know they're feeling in Green Bay pretty pretty good.
How are they feeling right now at the Star We
are set to here based on three microphones. I'm gonna
say from Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, and Brian Schattneimer, just
a guest live Cowboys News conference. Come on your way.
Michael Parsons is a packer. How about that stick around
seeing siders?

Speaker 2 (20:46):
I mean this was the kind of trade that you
would see in draft days. So yeah, Ryan goodak with
the post it note, Michael Parsons. No matter what, who
cares about the second round or the two first round
picks that you gave up and Kenny Clark, None of
that matters. If you get what Michael Parsons has already
given you, you were you made a great trade today.
Yeah right there, Jerry Jones front and center, going to

(21:07):
address this Micah Parson's trade.

Speaker 1 (21:09):
We will have it for you live in just a
matter of minutes.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
In the meantime, Judy Patiza, Brian Balding or Mark Ross
here with me. Mike Garrifolobaldi starting with you give us
the Baldy breakdown. What is the impact for the packers
defense well.

Speaker 14 (21:21):
I nicknamed him the MPP, the Micah Parsons problem, because
he's the biggest problem in the league. Jeff Hafley the
defensive coordinator. He changed to a four man front last year.
They robbed the middle of the field. They played press coverage.
He's perfect for the fit. But you just watch him
here he is against the Giants. He never lost the
Giants two seven to zero. As the starter. He destroyed

(21:41):
the Giants single handle. He destroyed the Giants game in
game out. They could not game.

Speaker 4 (21:46):
Plan, not if it was Carolina.

Speaker 14 (21:48):
Right here, once he gets his hands on you and
he reads what you're doing, this is a bootleg right here.

Speaker 1 (21:53):
Bright Shong has no chance, his ability just to close.
He gets his.

Speaker 11 (21:57):
Hands on you right here, there's nothing he.

Speaker 1 (21:58):
Can't do to escape. Here's the swim.

Speaker 14 (22:00):
And now Bryshang wants to get away, but you can't
because he closes faster than.

Speaker 1 (22:05):
Any other player in the league.

Speaker 14 (22:07):
Right now, and then, Jeff has all the abilities as
a defensive.

Speaker 1 (22:10):
Coordinator to take the first rd.

Speaker 14 (22:12):
Away Muggy the a gap, coming back here and making
a quarterback.

Speaker 1 (22:16):
Hold the ball.

Speaker 14 (22:18):
He's the best defensive player in this business. He changes
the game because of his speed and his ability to
chase and affect plays. His first three years in the league,
Dallas did over those three years leave the entire National
Football League in takeaways with Dan Quinn as the coordinated
Jeff Hafley last year in his first year thirty one

(22:38):
takeaway second in the league. That's what this thing is about,
taking the ball away, affecting the quarterback, and really nobody
is better in this business than Michael Parsons in his
prime at age twenty six.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
Maldy, I agree with you, and what he saw there,
dear Exo, is the uniqueness of where he lines up,
and that's what causes all the problems.

Speaker 1 (22:59):
Is it's unlike a lot where you know he's going
to be over here.

Speaker 11 (23:02):
And we can gain plan.

Speaker 3 (23:03):
But with Micah it's so hard because the unique talent,
but also where do we gain plan to stop him?
And he could be anywhere on any play, and that
affects the way that the offense schemes, the way the
quarterback calls the protections, the way that the receivers run
their routes. He has that kind of effect because of
where he lines up, but also the effect of how

(23:24):
talented he is.

Speaker 11 (23:25):
Is okay.

Speaker 3 (23:25):
Now, Now we don't have to have our number one
guy slide down the number two, number three. He makes
everybody else better so that they can fit into their role.
Rashan Gary, you don't have to be the guy. You
could be too, Lucas fan NEETs, you could just go
eat as the number three guys. And another person who's
going to have a huge effect Baldy Judy at Mike
is Edgeran Cooper. Second year man Edgerick Cooper, who only

(23:46):
played forty five percent of the snaps last year but
had three and a half sacks and eleven tackles for
thirteen tackles for the loss, who similarly lines up all
kinds of ways and is explosive as can be.

Speaker 6 (24:00):
Mark, I want to get your thoughts from the front office,
but first I want to show a tweet I believe
from Michael Parsons that we have. I'm not sure if
we've got that game time, yes, handshake, game time absolutely.
Michael Parsons. All right, let's look at the terms of
the trade.

Speaker 7 (24:18):
We know it. Two first rounders and.

Speaker 6 (24:22):
Kenny Clark going back to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange
for Michael Parsons. Mark give us the front office view
of this trade. I don't want to ask you who
won the trade, but give me your thoughts on that.

Speaker 3 (24:33):
Well, I think the Packers wanted and Jimmy, you said
it beautifully perfectly earlier.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
It is like, it's great to get those.

Speaker 3 (24:40):
Picks, but the goal of those picks is to get
at Michael Parsons, and they got it already. And the
goal is once you get at Michael Parsons is to
keep a Michael Parsons. You know, so you had the
best defensive player in the league because you drafted well
and you hit. Now going forward, when I look at
the Cowboys and we keep talking about what is the plan.

Speaker 11 (24:59):
Okay, you have these picks.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
Now what your franchise quarterback is already thirty two years old?
So is his plan to try to keep rebuilding around him?
Is his planning to acquire these picks to say, Okay,
we'll go get another quarterback, but you're picking probably going
to be picking low in those rounds because Green Bay
is going.

Speaker 11 (25:16):
To be good.

Speaker 3 (25:16):
So all in all, when I look at this, it's
great to get the picks, but what is the plan
and will you be able to hit on these picks?
You don't hit on the Michael Parsons once every ten
twenty years, so it probably will not be that impact.

Speaker 1 (25:29):
But whether they go going forward, Baldy.

Speaker 2 (25:33):
This is a team that, for better or for worse,
has leaned on its ability to draft and develop in
the past.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
They're going to say, and I know is a tough
sell in the fan base.

Speaker 2 (25:42):
Devin Azaraku this year a second round pick, Sam Williams,
a former second round pick, Marshawn neil On, a former
second round pick. Guys that they really feel good about.
They're not Michaeh Parsons, but guys they feel really good about,
as well as oh So Diggi Zoo, a former third
round pick, Kenny Clark. They added former first round pick
Mazzie Smith, former first round pick. Can they all combine
make up for Michah Parsons, We shall see a blockbuster.

Speaker 1 (26:06):
On August twenty eighth, just one week before the Cowboys
are set to kick off the twenty twenty five regular
season against the Eagles, Micah Parsons is headed to Green Bay.
Cowboys and Packers a green on a trade that sends
Parsons to lambeau Field in exchange for two first dround
picks as well as nose tackle Kenny Clark. Parsons also

(26:27):
gets a four year, one hundred and eighty eight million
dollar contract extension from the Packers that makes him, in
terms of new money, by far, the highest paid non
quarterback in NFL history. Welcome back to the Insiders. Tom Pelicero,
Ian Rappaport, Judy Batista, and Mike Girifolo. We are waiting
right now for the Cowboys, and specifically we believe Jerry

(26:50):
Jones to head to the podium. They are set up
for a press conference that should be beginning any minute
from right now. Judy, I come to you with this question.
You're about to watch this, we all are. What do
you want to hear from Jerry Jill? What is the plan?

Speaker 6 (27:10):
How do you think you made the Dallas Cowboys better today?
Did this really devolve all because you thought you were
going to stand on a handshake deal and didn't want
to deal with an agent. All of that I want
to deconstructed. How did this come apart from a player
that Jerry Jones seemingly really liked and had a lot
of respect for, to Michael Parsons having to demand a

(27:32):
trade and then being traded all of this and then
looking forward, how do you make the team better?

Speaker 7 (27:39):
Do you think the team is better right now that you're.

Speaker 6 (27:42):
Going to put on the field next week against the
Philadelphia Eagles.

Speaker 5 (27:47):
Dean, Yeah, and certainly, you know you talk about the
plan right now. So much of what the Dallas Cowboys
are doing is looking toward the future and saying they
didn't pay Micah Parsons. Now it's forty they would have
paid him forty maybe forty one million dollars. The Packers
are paying him forty seven million dollars per year. That's
obviously a huge huge jump for Micah Parsons in a

(28:10):
really nice deal for him. The Cowboys avoid that's that's
what's happening now.

Speaker 1 (28:15):
So much of this is about the future.

Speaker 11 (28:17):
Though.

Speaker 5 (28:17):
They have a quarterback that's in his early thirties who
finished last year on injured reserve, and at some point
the Dallas Cowboys need to start thinking about the future,
and one way to do that is to a mass
first round picks to potentially use in a trade or
a draft a quarterback. I mean, that's really that's really
what they're doing here, and you know it's not what

(28:38):
the fans want.

Speaker 1 (28:38):
To hear they want to win.

Speaker 5 (28:39):
Now, this is a team that you know, certainly is
talented enough to be in the playoffs.

Speaker 1 (28:44):
Absolutely is talented enough to be in the playoffs.

Speaker 5 (28:47):
But what they did was build for the future and
get out from an issue that they just could not
figure out. Mike, I know it's something that's driving Cowboys
fans crazy. But the last blockbuster they trade they did
worked out okay.

Speaker 1 (28:59):
So we'll see if this one does as well. You
know what I want to hear. I'll answer your initial question.
Tom and Judy alluded to this.

Speaker 2 (29:05):
I want to hear Jerry Jones say we're better without
Micah Parsons.

Speaker 1 (29:09):
Not because I agree with that.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
I don't, not because many people agree with it, not
because maybe he may even believe it, but because I
kind of want that out there as something we can
always continue to go back to, because he's either going
to be right or he's going to be wrong, and
he may be horrifically wrong. And this is the kind
of stuff that we love to talk about when it
comes to The Insiders and Good Morning Football and all.

Speaker 1 (29:27):
Of our programming here at NFL Network.

Speaker 2 (29:29):
I go back to the Red Sox earlier this year,
trading Rafael Devers and saying we're going to be better
without him. Guess what they have been like that just
leads to the kind of drama after a trade like this.
I want Jerry to say something along those lines. And
the fact that there's one microphone there after there were
three initially tells me Jerry is.

Speaker 1 (29:45):
Going to walk right up and look right into the
cameras and into the lights and give us what we
wan on. Hold on, Mike, we had some news. We
have some news.

Speaker 5 (29:55):
Wat's two microphones now two, michaelones used to be one.

Speaker 1 (30:02):
To one two.

Speaker 7 (30:04):
I've got anything.

Speaker 1 (30:07):
No shortage of reactions to today's blockbuster trade, Michael Parsons
going to the packers our buddy camp wolf Way and
then mentioning the course Dallas trated Luca and Mike away
in the same calendar year. Not ideal if you're a
Dallas fan. Also Russell Wilson, he of University Wisconsin fame,
among other things, telling Michaeh, Hey, glad you're out of

(30:29):
the division packing bags movie company. Let me know happy
he won't be getting chased around by Micah during the
regular season twice. This has been a monumental day for
a lot of different reasons, including the fan of Michael
Parsons is now the highest paid non quarterback in NFL
history forty seven million dollars per year in new money.

(30:50):
Even if you look at this like the Packers would
in terms of a five year, two hundred twelve million
dollar deal overall, that's still upwards of forty two million
dollars per year, whatever metric you use. Micah Parsons just
got paid in a big way. We aren't still waiting
at the start for the Cowboys media conference was supposed

(31:11):
to begin fifteen minutes ago. We have had a lot
of rearranging of the chairs. Maybe they'll us play musical chairs.
That's kind of how it feels. We're now at two
I'm going to guess Jerry Jones and Brian shat now,
but we hope to have answers on that and a
lot more soon. Welcome back to the Insiders, Tom pellisero
I and Rappaport, Judy Battista and Mike garofalo Ian. Let's

(31:32):
just reset here how this played out, because I think
that there was a lot of confusion about exactly where
things stood between the Cowboys and Michaeh Parsons and actually,
how about this, Let's get an answer from someone smarter
than he And here's Jerry Jones head into the podium.

Speaker 15 (31:48):
As a lot of people, Calvin started out, sir, this
is for Jerry and Alsie Stephen, why do you decide
to trade Michael Parsons?

Speaker 4 (31:59):
Well, without being too broad, obviously, we did think it
was in the best interest of our organization, not only
the future, but right now this season as well. We've

(32:20):
gained a Pro Bowl player. We've gained a Pro Bowl
player in an area that we had big concern in,
or concerns in on the inside of our defense. Uh,
let me be let me go beyond your question. First

(32:40):
of all, I want to tell you that I really
like Michael. I appreciate the years four years that we've
had him here, and he's he's a great player, and
so we are very appreciative of the fact that he's
a great player. Uh. There's no question that I could

(33:03):
have signed him in April, and so, UH we all
know that to have agreements, all parties have to agree.
But this was by design. Uh. I did uh make
my cun offer. Uh it wasn't acceptable. Uh, And I

(33:27):
honored the fact that it wasn't done in the way
that he wanted to do it through an agent, so
he was made an offer. There's not an ounce of vindictiveness.
There's no bad feelings on my part about the fact
that we didn't come together on an agreement. The facts are,

(33:52):
and we'll cover it, I'm sure with many of your questions,
but the facts are, specifically, we need to stop the run,
and we haven't been able to stop the run at
key times for several years. And when you have the

(34:14):
kind of extraordinary pass rush that Michael had, then the
way to mitigate that pass rush is to run at you.
If the pass rush doesn't get you ahead pretty big
time and you're playing even or behind, then you've really
got a problem in stopping the run. And so we

(34:37):
have felt as we embark on changing things. We have
a coach that we're mighty proud of in Brian, and
we're excited about the changes that we're making, not only
in the coaching staff, but in the team. I think
out of our sixty players that we would count as

(35:00):
the actives and a percent of the practice squad, over
one third of those players are new and so we
are doing what I've said many times that if you
are the one that owns and when you look in
the mirror, you've got to change. And so that this

(35:24):
was a very deliberate as it played out, reflection on
a key player that could bring us a lot of consideration,
a lot of consideration now in the player that we
got that can help us stop the run, and a
lot of consideration in the future. A lot of capital

(35:48):
that is required to build a team. It takes many
players to be tried to play in the NFL. It
takes a level on the field. At the same time,
it takes a minimum of thirty or forty at minimum
to have both defense and offense, not including players that

(36:10):
are involved in our special teams. So it takes more
than one. And so you do have to allocate your resources,
whether it be draft picks or whether it be finances,
you have to allocate those resources. There was no question
in our mind that Michael could bring us a lot

(36:33):
of resources on a trade that has been on my
mind since we hired Brian, and so there was no question.
As it turns out, all the publicity about the not
having a contract, certainly you did your part in making

(36:55):
sure that it was known that he was potentially available,
and I appreciate that very much. And I say that
a little tongue in cheek. I'm not really as serious
about it, but I will say this that it was
important that we did get if we could get it,

(37:15):
the kind of interest that we got in making a
trade for Mike. He was an asset that we got
four great years out of. But when you are talking
about making a contract the kind that he got and
for the future, that's quite a commitment. And none of
that counts about what he did those first four years.

(37:37):
It all goes against what he can do for you
in the future, the length of that contract and maybe more. Well,
then you've got to really wigh how many players. And
I'm just going to give you this. Not only do
we immediately get a player, but those draft picks could
get us. I'm talking top Pro Bowl type player could

(38:00):
not necessarily going to be quick to say you won't
necessarily get those players, you got to draft them more
acquirm but they could get us as few as three
or as many as five outstanding players. Now, not only
do they contribute in a game that needs a lot
of players on the field not to be elementary, but
they also give you better odds that they're going to

(38:24):
be a high percentage of those are going to be
available just from the strandpoint of attrition or from the
standpoint of just sheer limit on how far one player
can go. Very few players are Dion play at one
hundred plays a game out there at the time. So
this trade was not just thought about today. This trade

(38:48):
has been going on in our minds and our strategies
and being talked about. It's been going on allspring. It
culminated today and it came quick. But that's the way
things go. It does happen fast when it happens, but
you've laid a lot of water. I mean, you've laid

(39:09):
a lot of things out there on the water to
make it happen. I want to be sure that our
fans understand. I think a lot of Michael and I
wish him so much success. I don't want him to
have success when he played the Cowboys as much as
I do want him to have overall success. But Michael

(39:31):
Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years
and a little bit of the way herschel Walker may
have had his greatest contribution to the Cowboys. What he
brought to us when he left could be a tremendous
thing for our fans and the success of this team.

(39:51):
Kenny Clark, we knew beginning, we really knew beginning this
spring that if we could pick up a top interior
defensive lineman just to offset not having a pass rusher,
even though it's Micah, but where we're long, where we're

(40:14):
strong is in our pass rushing depth. And we knew
if we could get an interior alignment that that was
at least something that would improve us right there. On
a top interior alignment. He comes in strong for us,
and he comes in accomplished for us, and so we're
glad to have him. It was a prerequisite. We went

(40:37):
down the teams and we only picked teams that had
room on their cap that could pay Micah, and we
only picked teams that had top tackles in tier tackles
that we wanted to have any dialogue with it all
about a trade. That was the criteria of trading top
existing tackle that could come in here and play for

(40:59):
us right now this year and offset the fact to
whatever degree more or less that we don't have that
excellence that Michael Parsons has There but we do have
the depth to come in here and do that, and
then if we could get the picks that we ultimately getting,
and we did have several teams that we might have

(41:21):
had an opportunity to do something well, we did have that,
and so this was no this was no instantaneous happening
this afternoon over about a five minute period. The other
thing that I would like to say is I firmly
did me made a commitment to Michael this spring Michael

(41:45):
and paid him and to pay him. At that time,
I was battling and knew that the other alternative probably
was I had no idea what we might be able
to get. Knew that it was very likely to be
several players that we could use those resources for all

(42:06):
the way draft picks as well as gap space, and
so that was on our mind the minute that we
saw that we were quite possibly we're going to have
an issue about whether or not we could do a
contract or not. That gave us time, that gave us imagineering.

(42:29):
That couple with bringing in a new coach and bringing
in a new staff, we felt it fit for us
to have more players, more excellent players, if we do
a good job of acquiring those players plus have a
team this year that would give us a better chance.
Dare I say that? But absolutely it's not a It's

(42:52):
not a zero that we're dealing with as far as
how much better that we were trying to be even
not having Michael. I've got several other things that I
could answer a question with, but I'll stop and just
let you ask question.

Speaker 1 (43:07):
The other thing.

Speaker 4 (43:08):
You did an amazing job of covering it.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
Extensively.

Speaker 16 (43:13):
But because we have thought about this a lot, but
the other thing came into play big was between coach
Schottenheimer and coach Iberfluse and talking about the defense and
obviously getting a player like Kenny Clark is We also
feel like, in addition to the depth is you can
scheme pressure as well, and I think Coach Iberflus has

(43:35):
been really good at that in terms of using scheme
to get pressure on the quarterback.

Speaker 4 (43:41):
But what's tough to scheme is to stop the run.
The other thing that I want to say is we
not only gives us four first round picks over the
next two years. We not only do that. Nothing says
we can't use some of those pecks right now to

(44:03):
go get somebody right now. Don't rule that out.

Speaker 17 (44:08):
You said to your fan base that looks at this
and says they're rebuilding.

Speaker 4 (44:12):
Right now, Well, again, we've certainly got a new coaching
staff and a third of all the players are new
and so obviously there is freshness. We'll use the word
new on that basis. But we have the highest paid

(44:33):
player in the NFL at quarterback, and we made that
commitment last year and we're proud we made it. It
had everything to do with this decision. Everything it is.
Give us every opportunity with Dac, Press, God and Lamb
and the base that we've got to win now and

(44:53):
so all you need to do this would I'm not
so sure this would have been results had we not
had Dak, but the fact that we have Dak. We
need to stop the run, we really do. We need
to get the ball back.

Speaker 16 (45:12):
That's why it was so important when you say that
is to Kenny Clark was a big part of this,
and that was a part of winning right now. And
we feel like when you look at you know, the
frustration is we hadn't been able to win the big
game in the playoffs, and we think it is a
direct connection to not being able to stop the run,

(45:32):
and we think Kenny Clark's going to be a big
piece to that. And we felt like because of our
depth on the edge as well as the ability to
be able to scheme pressure, that we could make up
for Micah because obviously he's elite at rushing the passer,
that we could make up for that. And then in
addition to it, as Jerry said, so well as we

(45:53):
do now have two ones in each draft over the
next two years, and nothing says we can't use one
of those to improve the team this year, which we
wouldn't rele out this year.

Speaker 11 (46:06):
Clients held l LS Cowboys.

Speaker 18 (46:08):
Can you, from a time last standpoint, when did you
start negotiate with Green Bay and when did you give
them permission to talk to move a letter about a contract.

Speaker 4 (46:17):
Yeah, we're not, uh, I'm not going to get into
time frames at all, but we didn't have a deal
until this afternoon. I'll tell you I can say that
much the rest of it. It'd be hard to be

(46:37):
not characterize the dialogue to pick a this toll, this call,
this time, this cap. We talked to Green Bay more
than once, more than twice several times, and that's been
frankly over the last several days, but it came to
a head as far as acting on it. Remember there

(47:02):
were three people that had two or three people. There
were three entities. First of all, Micah had to have
a contract with them that was satisfactory. They had to
agree to the contract, and then we had to agree
to the trade. And so it'd be real inaccurate to
just on our part say what our time frame was

(47:24):
without knowing theirs. But I will say that certainly it
was probably still up in there this morning when they
went to practice. Kenny practiced out there with him today,
and so you might say that it was technically up
in there this morning, make no mistake about it. What
wasn't up in the air was our consideration as a

(47:50):
complete organization that if we could get this done with
our terms, we would make the trade. And that was
a complete unanimity in the decision making.

Speaker 11 (48:05):
Why did you give them permission to talk to negotiate?

Speaker 4 (48:07):
Though I'm not I don't know that I want to.

Speaker 18 (48:17):
According to them, they came to you and and asked
about doing a deal or trying to get something done,
and you said, play on the fifty year.

Speaker 4 (48:26):
Excuse me, excuse me, tell them to play on the
fifty year or who is they and we persons.

Speaker 11 (48:33):
And move letter? Did they tell did you tell them
to play on the fifty year.

Speaker 4 (48:38):
That they wanted to play on the fifth year?

Speaker 1 (48:40):
No?

Speaker 18 (48:40):
No, they I'm sorry, I'm sorry they came to you
as recently this week or recently and try to jump
start negotiating.

Speaker 4 (48:48):
Yeah, we had some dialogue. I'm not going to get
into specifics because I don't think that characterizes it. But
it was not in any way out of the order
or anything like that. But basically, I think I've read
where they said that. I replied, we're playing another contract
as it exist right now, get ready to play Philadelphia. Correct,

(49:12):
that was correct?

Speaker 11 (49:15):
Thank you, cod Jerry Tart with ESPN.

Speaker 19 (49:21):
If you were willing to guarantee the highest highest amount
of money for a non quarterback back in March, but
you're also open to possibly making in trade, why not
do more or look at it more before the draft
where you would be able to gather those at least
a player or picks.

Speaker 4 (49:38):
Then why waiting till I'm sorry, I think your question
is a question a question about my volition or about
what I'm thinking. Is that correct?

Speaker 19 (49:58):
I'm just wondering why this wasn't something I think that
could have been done before the draft too. Maybe you
would have been able to gather draft picks that you.

Speaker 11 (50:05):
Could have used in April to help the Cowboys.

Speaker 4 (50:08):
Yeah, I'll speculate with you, because I haven't gone that
deep into my thinking about why I didn't do it
and when I should have done it and all that.
Really I'm not and I'm not trying to be cute, okay,
But when I offered the contract that I offered him
back in April, he flew in from out of the country,

(50:29):
wanted to come right in. I said, no, get your
night's sleep and come on in the next day. Get
your next day. He wanted to come right in. When
I did that, we offered him a contract to come
play for the Dallas Cowboys. And it was a good one. Okay, now,
it was more guaranteed than what I've been reported that

(50:50):
was here now. But my point is, without getting into detail,
that was a very genuine negotiation and we changed I
changed the amounts, and then we left, and then he
called back and talked to Steve and Stephen negotiated amounts.

(51:12):
We did those. We changed those amounts that he called
back from and then of course the rest is history.
When the time came to say let's go, then he said,
well let's start the negotiation. And again, Uh, nothing in
the world am I criticizing Michael about at all that

(51:36):
was ever bent his right And Micah has never been
anything but so pleasant for me to be around. I
want to be real clear about it. Not that it
simalies that it's not. Uh, things are good here, Things
are good here. We have just decided that it was
in the best interest of our team to take the

(51:57):
consideration that we have. We appreciate his for years, but
we can take that consideration and we can win in
our minds more than had we gone the other route
and signed. That's not a negative on Micah. That's just
unique to our circumstances.

Speaker 19 (52:14):
Were there any trade discussions prior to the draft regarding.

Speaker 4 (52:18):
Micah, trade discussions with who.

Speaker 11 (52:22):
With other teams regarding no, no, no, could you have
done something?

Speaker 4 (52:27):
Then we had them. We had them, but we didn't
have them with him.

Speaker 16 (52:32):
But the drafts in April, by the way, when we
were talking to Micah personally, right.

Speaker 11 (52:39):
At the end of the month, this was at the beginning.

Speaker 4 (52:40):
I got you, oh, you mean a day earlier or what.
I'm not frustrated with that.

Speaker 1 (52:49):
Yeah, I'm short with the Atlantic, Jerry.

Speaker 10 (52:51):
This is just making a move like this isn't something
that you normally do. You don't usually move away from
star players in their prime.

Speaker 1 (52:59):
Why is this different right now?

Speaker 4 (53:01):
As a matter of fact, I've been criticized for staying
with players too long. The ones that have that have had,
if you will, a relationship, for working together relationship. I
had that kind of relationship with Michaeh. Like I said,
I sat with him at a couple of one super
Bowl for sure, and about here and knew his families,

(53:22):
had an hour and a half visit with his mother
during the whole first half last weekend, sitting there with
me watching the game up in the box, up in
the suite where we watched the game. And so my
point is, there's none of that here. Feel that very
good about it in our judgment, this gives us a

(53:45):
better chance to be a better team than we have
been the last few several years since Michael has been here.
Not any negative on Michael, but we're trying to get better.
We're trying to stop the run, stay in the hunt.

Speaker 10 (54:02):
Bother you at all with the way maybe he carried himself,
the laying on the training table during the game, and
some of those things like.

Speaker 4 (54:08):
That, Oh that's not, that is not I didn't see it.
I saw pictures of that. But those aren't ways that
you make decisions that you handled being a player and
a team concept and the sharpness and paying attention first

(54:31):
of all, ask our booker, and you can get your
butt run over down there if you don't look at
what's going on out on the field, like lost Booker
because of it, Sonny or Thursday, Nick harris Ford Star Telegram.

Speaker 20 (54:48):
Jerry, you had said a couple of weeks ago in
an interview with Steven A that you were never considering
trading Michael Parsons. Was that a tactic at the moment
or did your tune eventually change the week.

Speaker 4 (54:57):
Do you really think if I wanted someone to be
inter to him that I would say, oh I'm going
to trade him. It's the opposite. It's the opposite, of course,
And I thank you for writing it. I really do.

Speaker 1 (55:14):
He said that it was a unanimous decision to make
this deal today.

Speaker 11 (55:18):
Yes, who was involved in that.

Speaker 4 (55:19):
Process, the entire coaching and the representatives of the entire
coaching as well as our entire front office, everyone that
is involved that has an interest in going forward that
we counsel with, and as I've told you many times
of contrary to maybe something that's written, sometimes what I

(55:41):
really do get huge input and dialogue and opinions from
everybody in our organization. And this was unanimous with the.

Speaker 17 (55:51):
Leadership Council of the players part of that talk.

Speaker 4 (55:56):
People that were on it were certainly had common many
points informally because of the fact that we were around
the training camp and we got members that were training
camp that are on that council.

Speaker 11 (56:12):
Tomoy R.

Speaker 20 (56:13):
Stoles, Cowboys Psychondri set back in it was April that
one of the things you were looking for from Mike
E before extension was leadership.

Speaker 11 (56:20):
Did you see him take those kinds of steps for you?
And was that part of the decision to ultimately training.

Speaker 4 (56:27):
I wanted an elevation because he was going to be
elevated to an elite status relative to financial the percent
of the cap that he got relative to all the players.

(56:51):
And I really believe strongly that when you have that,
then you have an added responsibility to show leadership for
the whole team when you're one of the six or
seven that are getting two thirds of the money.

Speaker 20 (57:12):
Joe Boy Dallas want to news athletes first represents a
good chunk of your Cowboys players, including Tyler Smith. David
Mulgeta represents George Piggins, who's on your team. Do you
wonder if maybe the interactions you had or didn't have
with David muliganta might have some ramifications in terms of
negotiations down the road.

Speaker 4 (57:28):
From everything I have heard from people that know him,
he's not that fragile. And let me tell you something,
you can't do this stuff. If you can't do business
like this and be around this and be fragile, I'm not.
It still doesn't mean you can't get mad or you
can't get any way. But still I would think that

(57:51):
with his background and what have you, he's very professional
and is very uh willing to keep his eye on
the ball and not get caught up in a lot
of the other emotion or things that go on. Now,
make no mistake about it, uh, negotiations and it's not

(58:14):
it's not just a player.

Speaker 1 (58:16):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (58:17):
And as a matter of fact, I would like to
make this comment, these are young guys relatively speaking to
this guy. These are young guys and they haven't had
times when these uh, their their skills and their their
well their being of what they're contributing is measured up

(58:40):
by some kind of negotiation over money. Now, anybody that
doesn't understand that doesn't understand human beings. We all get
flair over that. I'm eighty two. I flare over it today.
That's part of that's that's that goes with it. And
to understand that is frankly not necessarily your learning when

(59:03):
you're negotiating at the level Micah or his agents are,
but certainly on down the line earlier. That's a big
part of evolving. That's why my third year alignemen sometimes
are better and show up when they didn't show up
in the first year. People evolved. I look at it
that way. Who was it, stephen A. Stephen A said,

(59:30):
Jerry said, you should have more grace, you should be
a little more sensitive. These are young guys, and you've
been down that pike a lot and have it. What
stephen A got back from me was I've had more
grace than any human I know of. I've had more grace.
Forgiveness is just to say Okay. Grace is when okay,

(59:52):
plus they give you a lift, that's grace. You all
know that. So having said that, I believe that our
players and I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't
have a big, big, big feeling for our players and
frankly our coaches. And so there's never been a case

(01:00:15):
where I ever passed a ninosecond had a bad feeling.
After we're through with negotiations and we're trying to sit
down and go forward with what we said we would
do and has played together. You guys give me a
great opportunity to communicate. And I'm not the first one

(01:00:36):
you've had coaches tell you they communicate with their players
through the people in this room. And so you guys
give us a great form to express ourselves in a
way and our fans. I thought that it was sensitive
to fans, then that'd be a different story too, I don't.
I think it's a part another little nuance of being

(01:00:59):
involved in game. Thank you guys for involving them in
these nuances. That's why we did drift room cameras, That's
why we did all that. So, boy, I believe in
the process and the discussion of the process and the
questions you have about it.

Speaker 20 (01:01:17):
You mentioned looking in the mirror. Do you think you
still plan to continue your player first negotiation tactic that
you use and make it here where you want to
negotiate with him directly.

Speaker 4 (01:01:26):
Oh, I don't think there's any question once you are together.
I've had hundreds of times and incidences where literally hundreds

(01:01:53):
over the last thirty five years of where the kinds
of relationship that I have with a player and the
things we do, and that goes both ways, goes them
and me because those players that were twenty five go
up to be fifty five and I'm still We're still talking, baby,

(01:02:14):
and we have relationships. That's a natural thing to happen
when you work together during times that bond you and
so I feel that way back. That's why I'm here, Frankly,
it's my main reason for being here. So those things
that go over those years are treasures with those with

(01:02:35):
those guys, their attorney or their agent isn't necessarily anywhere
to be found ten years later. Not only that, sometimes
they're not even to be found because one guy in
the agency's got it handed off to another guy. Now,
So these guys that are sitting here with your Dallas
Cowboys and the people that are out here putting it

(01:02:57):
on the line and gonna build memories that are a
part of their legacies and their families for years and years.
Then you can't do that through an agency, I mean
through a third party at least I can. And so
you're absolutely right if we're going to be at that
significant time and brother, this is significant the financial consideration,

(01:03:21):
especially nowadays, and it always has been, relatively speaking, When
you're doing that in a young person's life, then I
want to be where I can be. I want to
be in the mix there. I want to be in
the I want to see me get mad or tear
tear up, or see me say God, I'll do it.

(01:03:41):
As old Michael Irving told me one time. He said,
Jerry said that we're just not gonna do it. I'm
just not going to do it. And I said, Michael.
We were just sitting there with the two of us,
and I said, Michael, there's an old West Texas town
called El Passo. I help passle and he goes, God knows,

(01:04:03):
get it to me. I can't deal with you on
a basis like that. Let's go. So my point is
all that that time did was last We're still doing it. Yeah,
thirty something years later. That stuff happens, and so I
don't view it's a negative for the player either. They're
going to get more out of it. I hope than

(01:04:24):
if I'm around, they'll get more out of it than
just that contract.

Speaker 16 (01:04:28):
Only other thing I'd add to that is there we
do have players that come in and we totally respect
it that say I don't feel comfortable talking about my contract,
I'd like you to go through my agent, and we
do that respectfully. I mean, you're not required to come
in and negotiate the contract yourself. All the ones we've
done like that are those who request to come in

(01:04:50):
and visit with your ear myself. That's the only ones
we've done that with.

Speaker 4 (01:04:56):
The issue here was not to switch who we were
talking with. The issue here was starting over after I
had really dug deep change, Dug deep more, Doug Moore,
Doug Moore, handed it off to Steven he Dug Moore,

(01:05:17):
Doug Moore. Now we through, We're through, and then to
say let's start negotiation pretty clever if you think about it,
on our part, that's pretty good.

Speaker 8 (01:05:30):
Scott Rixon with the this might be for both of
you feel.

Speaker 14 (01:05:34):
Something you want to offer. Was there any point that
you felt like Michael genuinely did not want to be
here anymore?

Speaker 11 (01:05:41):
And if so, when was that point.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
I didn't give that a thought. I never felt, but
but I felt felt. I've I'm satisfied my canoes that
I care about him, but as much as he uh uh.
But more important than that, I just want you to
know I didn't give it a thought. It didn't change
one thing I was doing, and I'm not trying to

(01:06:08):
be anyway other than I just didn't let that stop
the train from accomplishing. Frankly, what we end up accomplishing today,
don't make so much out of that. Well, that not
talking caused this thing to be done. There's a little

(01:06:28):
thing called stopping and run. There's a little thing called
football team having the most having the resources of those
picks and having the resources of player we got that
had a heck of a lot more to do with
it than any hiccup we might have had in April.

Speaker 17 (01:06:45):
Sodis the athletic Garry.

Speaker 10 (01:06:49):
Do you have any regrets over the process of the
last few months and how things went.

Speaker 4 (01:07:03):
I am very excited about, very excited beyond any consideration
of a regret, of the consideration that we got in
this trade and to have the player. I'm very excited
about that. It is more in keeping within my mind

(01:07:23):
what's in the best interests of the Dallas Cowboys.

Speaker 20 (01:07:27):
In terms of things that were said in the media
about the agent, any things like that.

Speaker 2 (01:07:31):
Do you is there any things that you would do
differently if you were to go back.

Speaker 4 (01:07:35):
Oh no, no, not at all. Not nothing at all
in terms of regret. And you mentioned you're asking if
I regret. No, I don't regret that at all. You know,
I'm very, very excited about the prospects of what we've
done for the Cowboys here. I wouldn't have done it.

(01:07:58):
I wouldn't have done it. I had totally being able
to have it the other way. So I'm excited we
got what we wanted.

Speaker 1 (01:08:09):
Edward w FAA Jeredy have any misgivings.

Speaker 17 (01:08:12):
About trading a player like Micah to gree Bay, which
is a team you have to go through to get
to a Super Bowl, a team that has ended your
postseason three times in the sears.

Speaker 4 (01:08:24):
We cut it down by fifteen teams, sixteen teams by
there's not but thirty one other teams, and so you're
going to be playing half of them no matter how
you cut it. So we just cut it down by that.

(01:08:44):
Apart from in our same division, apart from being in
the same division, I don't give that in consideration. There's
just too many other things ed that you have to
think about or resolved were come to grips with. That
was a pretty far down the line. One second question.

Speaker 17 (01:09:06):
Her seven days from the opening of the season in Philadelphia.
Is there any concern on your part about how your
locker room will in your moving on from one of
the premier players.

Speaker 4 (01:09:17):
In the organization, Not at all. As a matter of fact,
I like what I like what this does.

Speaker 11 (01:09:28):
From a locker room.

Speaker 4 (01:09:30):
From the locker room. I know if you say if
I'm worried about the locker room, I am absolutely zero
worried about the locker room no longer. That's not meant
to diminish anything here. I am just not concerned at
all about the locker room. It takes a lot of
players play this game. Locker room knows that we just

(01:09:52):
got a lot of good players.

Speaker 11 (01:09:57):
Chuck ol.

Speaker 17 (01:10:00):
In your interview with Michael Urban last week at the
end of it.

Speaker 11 (01:10:04):
You're drinking or serious.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
But you talked about having him come bring Micah in.
So you guys to figure this all out between the
conversation and the spring and.

Speaker 4 (01:10:13):
Today, and you at any point talk.

Speaker 1 (01:10:16):
One on one Michael tried to figure this out.

Speaker 4 (01:10:18):
Did I talk to Michael Micah about I'm sorry I
didn't get put in the spring with Micah?

Speaker 1 (01:10:27):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:10:28):
Between then and now, was there any point that you
went to.

Speaker 1 (01:10:32):
Him or he came to you and you tried to
figure this out?

Speaker 4 (01:10:34):
Man the man? After that? No, but we were talking, baby,
we were talking. That's on the practice field. That's the
old deal. We had the practice field. But you're talking
about the spring. You're aware of the talk we had
on the practice fielding. But listen, listen, everybody knew exactly
what had happened, and they they completely knew our numbers.

(01:10:56):
And so that's not that I've been in negotiations where
not a lot was said then too, because you had
given your numbers, and so there wasn't but one thing
let to do, and that's increased the numbers. From their standpoint, Okay,

(01:11:18):
mine would have come in. So to say that we
didn't know what now to be very candid with you.
There is a litany of detail that the agent as
well as our office would have gone over with that
agent of detail. But the big ones, the years, the

(01:11:41):
amount it's paid, that type thing. We had discussed. I
get it, and I think everyone does get it too.
They wanted to go where I stopped, and they wanted
to go from there. Is that hard for anbods? That's
where they wanted to are. That's where I stopped. Now,

(01:12:04):
all you could do is pick up the phone and
say that to each other.

Speaker 17 (01:12:10):
About your relationship with Micah being unusual in some ways.
That would socialize, you know, talk about the super Bowl moment.

Speaker 1 (01:12:17):
You feel like over these months, could you feel the
deterioration with DILATIONSIP.

Speaker 4 (01:12:25):
I hadn't had a chance to watch a game with
him or go to another Super Bowl. I would have
to tell you after we said let's do that. So
so I mean, I'm not trying to be cute at all.
We have been negotiating and we basically said quit talking
on the phone, and so we weren't talking on the

(01:12:48):
phone during that time. And I probably don't have three
people got my phone number and he was one of them.

Speaker 1 (01:13:01):
Here here put a'll zbas sport. All right, we are
forty minutes in counting into a press conference that, knowing
Jerry could go on for several more hours. Welcome back
to the insiders. Tom Pellicero, Ian Rappaport, Judy Matista, Mike Garafalo.
I'll go back to near the start of that press
conference some of the notable things he said immediately going
to talking about stopping the run being a big part

(01:13:24):
of this, the fact they get Kenny Clark as something
that can help. Saying we can manufacture pressure also invoked
the Herschel Walker trades and this could be a tremendous thing.
Here confirmed our Jane Slater's reporting that in the most
recent conversations, Ian Essence told Micah, hey, you're under contract.
Get ready to play on that contract against Philadelphia next

(01:13:45):
Thursday night. And Judy, the one that stuck out to
me too was if he's distilling it to one thing,
it was we have just decided it was in the
best interest of our team and we can win in
our minds more than had we gone the other route
and signed him. You covered Jerry Joe a long time.
What John do to you?

Speaker 7 (01:14:03):
Yes, he seems convinced.

Speaker 6 (01:14:05):
I mean, here's another quote, this gives us a better
chance to be a better team than we've been the
last several years. As I tweeted in the moment, like
that's a statement we're probably.

Speaker 7 (01:14:14):
Going to be referring to for a few years.

Speaker 6 (01:14:17):
They seem convinced that, first of all, if they talked
a lot about the need to stop the run, and
they can manufacture, they can scheme up pass rush more
than you can scheme up stopping the run. He said
that he seems convinced that what they got back in
the trade for Micah is going to make them a
better team than they would have been if they had

(01:14:38):
retained Micah Parsons. Again, we're going to be talking about
that for years to come. But that is certainly the
spin they are putting on this. This was a move
for the future, he invoked herschel Walker.

Speaker 7 (01:14:49):
This is nothing like the herschel Walker trade.

Speaker 6 (01:14:52):
Nowhere near the hall of draft picks they got there
to be continued, but it is.

Speaker 5 (01:14:59):
A hall of draft picks could potentially help them get
a quarterback down the road if they do need to.
Although I've been it's actually been interesting. I've been texting
with a bunch of numbers people, some of the nerves
of the NFL to try to figure out whether or
not this is better or worse than the Khalil mack
Hall that the Raiders got.

Speaker 1 (01:15:14):
It's been tough to figure out. Not got a definitive.

Speaker 5 (01:15:16):
Answer, but at least it's not the slam dunk. Maybe
the most people think. The one thing that sticks out
at me, Mike, the one thing that I keep coming
back to is Jerry Jones said when they had their
negotiations with mikeah Parsons, they got to it what he
thought was in agreement, which was about forty one million
dollars or a little less per year new money. He
thought they were done. The agents wanted to keep going.

(01:15:37):
The packers kept going. It is forty seven million dollars
per year new money on the extension. Micah Parsons agents
did right by him. That is a six plus million
dollar difference. Players should get as much money as humanly possible.
This is a good outcome for mikeah Parsons. Jerry Jones
and Steven Jones believe it is a good outcome for
the Cowboys. We will see, but that was an excellent,

(01:16:00):
excellent explanation of exactly why they think.

Speaker 2 (01:16:04):
So I got what I wanted right before the press
conference said what do we want to hear? I said,
I want to hear Jerry Jones say we are a
better team today because of this trade set it right
out of the gate. So that's something that he's either
going to be right on or he's going to be
wrong on. He could be right in spectacular fashion. He
could be wrong in spectacular fashion. He threw down the
gauntlet there for us to basically, like Judy said, keep

(01:16:26):
coming back to what he said over the last forty.

Speaker 1 (01:16:29):
Minutes and counting.

Speaker 2 (01:16:30):
It was a ten minute first answer from him, Jerry
Jones making it clear he feels like the Cowboys are
a better team without Micah Parsons.

Speaker 1 (01:16:37):
Than they would have been with him. With him with
the big contract, that was a big part of them.

Speaker 7 (01:16:43):
Right.

Speaker 1 (01:16:43):
A blockbuster trade by any measure. The Cowboys agreed to
send Micah Parsons to the Packers in exchange for first
round picks in twenty twenty six and twenty twenty seven,
along with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Ever, the
salesman Ry Jones also noted during that lengthy media conference
that is still going on, and I quote, not only

(01:17:06):
do we have four first round picks over the next
two years. Nothing says we can't use some of those
picks right now to go get somebody right now, Jane Slater,
Jerry is giving people. It tastes. What could the next
step be. I don't know that anything is imminent at
this point. They certainly got draft capital. They clearly filled
a need that they said was glaring on their team
in terms of a defensive tackle, to the extent that

(01:17:26):
they didn't even engage in trade talks with anybody who
couldn't trade them a defensive tackle. You know that team,
Jane better than anybody else. Tell me what you just
heard of what it means from Jerry Jones.

Speaker 8 (01:17:39):
Well, I do think it's apropo that when I look
outside it is stormy and very dark today, kind of
the mood over this city. But there were a couple
of things that stood out for me. One, they are
absolutely correct about the need to stop the run.

Speaker 9 (01:17:51):
I talked about this last week.

Speaker 8 (01:17:53):
You know, they were bottom of the league, giving up
an average of one hundred and thirty seven rushing yards
a game. A Kid's Philadelphia in that one week seventeen,
one hundred and seventy nine yards, they were averaging about
four yards of pop and so this is something they've
talked about internally. When I reached out to former coaches
and I said, what do you think is happening here
with the Mica deal. As one person explained to me,

(01:18:14):
the building had concerns that Mica just didn't love football enough.
In other words, he would sort of drift in and
out of meeting rooms.

Speaker 9 (01:18:21):
They couldn't get him to focus.

Speaker 8 (01:18:22):
And this person truly believes that the Cowboys have convinced
themselves that this is addition by subtraction, and Jerry was
essentially trying to sell that to us.

Speaker 9 (01:18:33):
I think maybe there's a part of him.

Speaker 8 (01:18:34):
Even though he says they were sort of resolute in this,
I still think maybe he needed some talking about this
leading up to this decision today. But I think the
building and maybe even some of the locker room thought,
you know, maybe we should move on. Not necessarily a
full dislike or wanting to move on from Micah, but
realizing you do have this generational hall. This thing has

(01:18:56):
gotten messy. He wants to get paid. We can't pay
him right now because of what we've done with our
roster in paying Seedy Lamb. You're gonna have George Pickens
coming up, Tyler Smith, and I think they had to
weigh all of it in its totality and get a
deal done. My only thing about all of this, guys,
is it could have been handled better. In my opinion,
I think a lot of people can understand the merits

(01:19:17):
of the trade and why it happened. I just don't
think it should have or needed to get as messy
as it did.

Speaker 9 (01:19:23):
And I'll just leave it at that.

Speaker 1 (01:19:26):
Jane, fantastic reporting throughout this saga. We really appreciate it.
And yes, you will still be on the insiders regularly
for all the fallout that comes from this trade and
everything else throughout the course of this Cowboys season. The
Packers also have made the announcement Micah Parsons headed to
Green Bay where they're listening to them as a defensive
lineman right there. But he will pretty much do everything.

(01:19:49):
Ian One last thought, I.

Speaker 5 (01:19:53):
Don't know what we're going to do with the rest
of the time. What are we going to talk about
on ev Is there anything to talk about?

Speaker 1 (01:19:59):
Is the season's starting soon? Yes, we go football.

Speaker 6 (01:20:02):
It's starting one week from right now, there'll be real

Speaker 1 (01:20:06):
Live football, just not involving microparsons, still like Sunday Pipe