Jerry Jones recently made a wild comparison after shipping Micah Parsons to the Packers. The Cowboys’ hybrid owner and GM equated the move to the legendary Herschel Walker trade of 1989. It all but adds fuel to the idea that Jerry’s been stuck in the past and out of touch with his own team.
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Now, let’s be clear, Jones is no stranger to saying outlandish things to defend himself, but he may have crossed a line by justifying the Parsons trade with a deal he made more than 35 years ago.
“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,” Jones told Sports Illustrated while addressing the trade.
In case you don’t know, the Herschel Walker trade is remembered as one of the most lopsided deals in NFL history. The Cowboys used their star running back at the time to acquire immense draft capital from the Minnesota Vikings. That haul set Dallas on a path to becoming a dynasty while leaving the Vikings stuck in mediocrity.
So when Cris Carter heard Jones’ comments, he called him out for having outdated negotiating skills.
“Why wouldn’t you pay him? You drafted him. You draft kids so that they grow up. And when they grow up, you’ve got to pay them because that’s the whole process… Jerry is trying to do it off the old model,” Carter stated on Fully Loaded.
It’s a great question to ask, and also a great thing to point out. Despite being the most profitable franchise in sports, Jones and the Cowboys were extremely hesitant to offer Parsons a lucrative contract. It’s because they seemingly didn’t want to have $100 million tied up between him and Dak Prescott. While this might be somewhat smart for salary cap reasons, it’s strange to see an owner with such great wealth pinch pennies.
Later on in the pod, Carter said that Jones was insane for comparing the Parsons trade to Walker. “For him to say, ‘This is the Herschel Walker trade.’ He’s insane,” Carter said.
The Hall of Famer then pointed out that Walker was merely an “above-average” player, implying that Parsons is on another level, an All-Pro who racks up double-digit sacks every year.
“This is not even in the stratosphere. And Herschel Walker was an above-average player. Above-average. He was not a great pro player.”
Considering the returns, as of now, the two trades are vastly different. For Walker, the Cowboys received four players, three draft picks, as well as five additional draft picks that were conditional upon cutting some of the players acquired. Amid a rebuild, Dallas gladly cut those players and collected all of the picks, which they used to select future stalwarts like Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, and Darren Woodson.
On the other hand, for Parsons, Jones and the Cowboys received two first-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027, along with one former Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Kenny Clark. Maybe that ends up turning into more. But as of now, comparing the return to the Walker trade is downright foolish.
At the end of the day, though, Jones’ comments make sense, but for an entirely different reason. He’s always been obsessed with the Walker trade because Jimmy Johnson gets the credit for making the deal, not him. That jealousy led to a power struggle that ended with Johnson being fired by Jones.
Clearly, the 82-year-old owner is still trying to make his signature trade that propels the Cowboys into a dynasty like Jimmy did all those years ago.
