Jerry Jones is aware that the Dallas Cowboys are not where they should be, but he believes that trading Micah Parsons will be the start of something special. In his view, the move will have a similar effect on his team as the Herschel Walker trade in 1989.
Although fans are outraged that the Cowboys let Parsons slip through their fingers, Jones believes that a significant change was necessary. Jones believes that moving the star edge-rusher will play out similarly to how trading Walker in 1989 led to three ensuing Super Bowl titles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Jerry Jones felt like this was his modern-day version of a Herschel Walker trade,” Schefter said on ESPN's ‘Get Up.' “He felt like he needed to do something dramatic to shake up things for a team that has not reached the conference championship game in 30 years. By making a blockbuster, shocking trade, the way he once did with Herschel Walker, he could inject youth and picks and another player into his team, and recreate some of that excitement that the Cowboys had the last time they went on an extended postseason run.”
"Jerry Jones felt like this was his modern day version of a Herschel Walker trade."@AdamSchefter weighs in on Jerry Jones and the Cowboys following the Micah Parsons trade ✍️ pic.twitter.com/Pecp2kosbw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 29, 2025
Fans were initially upset when the Cowboys traded Walker in 1989, much like how they reacted to the Parsons fiasco. However, Dallas used the plethora of picks it received in the haul to quickly build a dynasty that would win three Super Bowls in the next six years.
Cowboys' return from Micah Parsons trade
In exchange for Parsons, the Cowboys received Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and a pair of first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. Some fans were upset that Jones was unable to secure a better deal for a player like Parsons, but, much like the Walker deal, the trade cannot be fully evaluated until after the picks are used.
Jones said that the trade gives Dallas a “chance to be a better team” than it has been recently, per Schefter. The 82-year-old was also fond of the idea of adding a defensive tackle in Clark, an area he felt his roster was weakest.
The Cowboys have made the playoffs in three of the last four years, but they have just two postseason victories in the last decade. Since its last Super Bowl appearance in 1995, Dallas has a poor 5-13 playoff record, including a 0-7 mark in the Divisional Round.
