The Dallas Cowboys reportedly declined a significant offer from the Philadelphia Eagles for defensive end Micah Parsons before trading him to the Green Bay Packers.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Cowboys accepted a major trade offer from the Packers in exchange for Parsons, with America’s Team receiving two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark in exchange.
The Eagles reportedly offered Dallas a significantly larger package for the four-time Pro Bowler, but Dallas chose to accept the Packers’ offer to keep Parsons out of the NFC East, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.
Philadelphia was prepared to part with two first-round draft picks, a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and additional unspecified assets to acquire Parsons. However, Dallas was unwilling to trade him within the division.
Glazer further specified that Dallas had been searching for a trade partner for roughly one week before the official agreement was announced, with the Cowboys ideally sending Parsons to the AFC.
“What they were hoping to do was trade him to an AFC team. I think they were shocked that they could not get any traction, anywhere from an AFC team. The team that actually threw in the biggest offer was the Philadelphia Eagles for two ones, a three, a five, amongst other things. Obviously, didn’t want to trade him in the division,” Glazer added.
Although the Eagles offered more total assets in exchange for Parsons, the Cowboys seemingly preferred the Packers’ offer for various reasons.
First, the Packers’ inclusion of Clark was reportedly a turning point for a Cowboys team that was looking for help against the run, with Glazer saying that “Clark is what made the difference for Dallas.”
This statement echoes the claims made by Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones after the trade, who said that Clark was “a big part of this” and would be able to help with “winning right now.”
“And we feel like when you look at the frustration, 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. And we think Kenny Clark can be a big piece to that,” Jones added, per Fox 4.
Additionally, the Cowboys were likely looking into the future of the draft picks, with the team potentially believing that the Packers’ selections could be more valuable in the future.
Philadelphia is coming off a Super Bowl victory and remains one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LX, meaning future draft picks from the Eagles will likely be near the end of each round.
Although the Packers are also considered one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl following the addition of Parsons, this team may still need a few more pieces to complete the roster and secure the final game of the season.
As a result, there is a chance that the Packers have an earlier selection than the Eagles in the first round, with the Cowboys now holding onto those draft picks for the next two seasons.
Moving forward, the Cowboys’ trade package from the Packers should help this team in both the current season and future years, though the rejected offer from the Eagles made it clear that Dallas could have received even more.