The Dallas Cowboys know how to steal headlines and draw up controversy. Look no further than their preseason trade of All-Pro defensive linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. The deal sent shockwaves through the NFL landscape, creating a perfect opportunity to laugh at the Cowboys' decision to trade one of the best young defensive players in their prime for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Fast forward two months, and the Cowboys would do it once again by acquiring disgruntled defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at the trade deadline.
The trade immediately had the media and fans questioning Dallas' plans. Why buy despite being 3-5-1 and immediately after losing to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football the night prior? The timeliness and decision did not sway Skip Bayless, as the veteran media personality believes the Cowboys won the Micah Parsons trade following the deadline blockbuster acquisition of Williams.
“No doubt, said Bayless on the latest episode of The Arena. “And Jerry Jones is the easiest, biggest target in all of sports. I don't think anybody gets criticized more than Jerry Jones does, a lot of times by me. He deserves his flowers because I believe, and we're going to get into this, but I think he won the trade deadline. You won the day, man. We're back in business because of this trade. Because Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams are the opposite intangibly to Micah Parsons.”
Does the acquisition of Quinnen Williams mean the Cowboys won Micah Parsons trade? “NO DOUBT,” says @RealSkipBayless pic.twitter.com/F7tkiJnrbV
— The Arena: Gridiron (@ArenaGridiron) November 8, 2025
Bayless continued by praising Williams and Clark for their leadership while belittling Parsons' locker room presence during his time with the Cowboys.
“Micah is a solo act. Micah is not a leader,” Bayless said. “Jerry kept trying to talk him into being a leader. He's just not. He's really good at social media, and he's really good at podcasting. Quinnen and Kenny Clark are really good locker room leaders. They are forces in the locker room and in the defensive huddle, as well as forces on the football field. I don't know what's not to love about this.”
Bayless finished his thought by mocking those who compared Parsons to Hall of Famer Reggie White before doing the same to Williams.
“Everybody says, ‘Oh, Micah is the next Reggie White.' No, he's not, but Quinnen Williams is much closer to Reggie White than Micah Parsons is, for what Reggie did,” Bayless noted. “Now, Reggie could do it all. You could put him anywhere. But Quinnen has Reggie to him, to me.”
The winner of either trade is hard to determine in November. The Cowboys will inevitably have to decide if they want to pay Williams and Clark into the future. If they don't, it is another wrinkle in the trade discussion. The Cowboys have also yet to choose any prospects with their remaining picks from the Parsons trade, making any definitive statement on the trade premature.
