The Micah Parsons trade is hands down one of the most surprising moves in the NFL in recent memory. While it may not rival the drama of Nico Harrison’s Luka Doncic trade in Dallas’ own backyard, 82-year-old Jerry Jones, GM and owner of the Cowboys, still knows how to keep us all on edge.
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The man’s really earned his “The Gambler” nickname, going into a season without arguably his best defensive player and with a coach who’s yet to prove himself as a head honcho. You seriously can’t make this up.
Even then, former NFL QB and now pundit Cam Newton is surprisingly optimistic about the whole thing. He believes Jones’ Cowboys are the real winners in this trade. “The biggest winner in this? It’s definitely the Dallas Cowboys,” he said on an episode of 4th and 1.
Newton believes the Cowboys shipping off their All-Pro edge rusher mirrors their infamous Herschel Walker trade. Even Jones has referenced this in a press conference … a deal that went down in his first year as owner back in 1989. That trade netted him eight total picks, including three first-rounders, after he gambled Walker to the Vikings.
“Pretty much, Herschel Walker’s trade is the one [that] completely reshaped the Cowboys’ foundation and really set their tone for their dominance in the 1990s,” Newton said.
“When you remove all the emotions, that’s what really makes me marvel after what happened, actually, in Dallas. That’s what Jerry Jones knows as well. He can use those picks [from the Packers] as draft picks or potential trade value, to garner somebody else,” the pundit added.
.@CameronNewton argues the Micah Parsons trade is Jerry Jones’ biggest gamble in decades pic.twitter.com/5NCYtp0NyE
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) August 30, 2025
Newton later admitted that he’s unsure whether Jones will be able to use the future picks (2026 and 2027 first-rounders) to land quality players like he did back in the ’90s. But he remained hopeful.
The Walker trade eventually involved 18 players, and the Cowboys’ new picks brought in Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, Pro Bowler Darren Woodson, and Pro Bowler Russell Maryland. We’re not so sure history will repeat itself.
For a team and fanbase that’s been waiting three decades for another Super Bowl (and with a GM that many are growing tired of), the waiting game might not be the best strategy, either. As Newton points out, it could take two to three years before we see any real impact in Dallas… that’s one huge gamble.
