Packers acquire Cowboys star Micah Parsons: Breaking down the trade using PFF data

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• The Packers get one of the NFL’s best defenders: Parsons ranks second in PFF WAR since 2021 and boslters a lackluster pass rush.

• Where do the Cowboys go from here?: Dallas could turn to Donovan Ezeiruaku for short-term answers, but the team’s other high-paid stars are now in no-man’s land.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

In an NFL offseason chock full of stunning transactions and trades, the league had another showstopper rabbit still lurking in its hat.

With just a week until the start of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys traded superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive lineman Kenny Clark. The move comes after Parsons’ quest for a new contract dragged on for over a year with minimal traction. Green Bay pounced, making Parsons the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at four years and $188 million.

Using PFF data as a backbone, let’s break down how this gargantuan move impacts both teams — and the rest of the NFL.

Green Bay’s upstart defense fixes its biggest hole

In the first season with new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley calling the shots, the Packers’ defense turned around promptly. Green Bay’s defense finished 2024 slotted 13^th in overall PFF grade, 15^th in EPA per play, tied for fourth in average yards per play allowed and tied for 11^th in first downs allowed. For context, in 2023, Green Bay sat 26^th in EPA per play, 20^th in overall PFF grade and 29^th in success rate.

Still, the Packers’ pass rush was lackluster. Green Bay concluded last year 23^rd in PFF pass-rushing grade among defensive lines and 19^th in pass-rush win rate (37.2%). Further, no Packers defensive lineman to play 250-plus pass-rushing snaps exceeded a 72.0 PFF pass-rushing grade or a 12.9% pass-rush win rate.

Enter Parsons. The 2021 first-round pick has secured a 91.6 PFF pass-rushing grade and 19.3% pass-rush win rate in every season of his decorated four-year career. In that span, the two-time All-Pro ranks third in total pressures generated (349) and first in pass-rush productivity (minimum 500 snaps).

Green Bay conspicuously didn’t prioritize edge rusher via either free agency or the draft, focusing instead on positions like wide receiver, cornerback and guard. It’s safe to say that, even amid questions, general manager Brian Gutekunst has now wholeheartedly addressed that concern.

Dallas’ shaky defense takes a colossal hit

The Cowboys finished 2024 with a 7-10 record and ranked 25^th in overall PFF grade. Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury in Week 9 was a death knell of many sorts, but the team’s defense also regressed big time, placing 31^st in EPA per play, 23^rd in success rate and 27^th in team defense PFF grade.

Although Parsons played just 694 snaps due to an ankle injury, he still amassed a stellar 90.0 overall PFF grade and 70 pressures with Dallas last year. Even with Parsons on the field for part of the year, the Cowboys were still among the league’s most susceptible defenses, especially against the run — where the unit tied for 30^th in PFF run-defense grade and allowed the third-most first downs on the ground.

The short answer is there’s no immediate way to replace Parsons’ production. Dallas did re-sign interior defender Osa Odighizuwa (60 pressures in 2024) and draft edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku (90.4 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2024) in the second round, but the group is now without one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL — and one who could align from multiple gaps at that. Players like Sam Williams (missed all of 2024) and Marshawn Kneeland (53.4 PFF pass-rushing grade) move up the pecking order.

In particular, the team’s interior defense remains highly questionable. Adding Clark gives the unit a veteran with past success, but he turned in his worst overall PFF grade (60.0) last season with just a 9.3% pass-rush win rate and a 58.4 PFF run-defense grade. Meanwhile, former first-round pick Mazi Smith has yet to blossom, producing just a 34.8 overall PFF grade in 2024.

The Packers elevate their contender status

Even before acquiring Parsons, the Packers were regarded as one of the better teams in the NFC and even in the broader NFL. PFF Power Rankings projected the team for 9.6 wins — the seventh-highest in pro football — with a 56% chance to make the playoffs.

Those prognostications will assuredly receive a nice boost after this landmark move. Parsons ranks second in the NFL among defensive players in PFF Wins Above Replacement (2.70) since he debuted, trailing only Myles Garrett. Green Bay did mortgage a significant portion of its future assets to land Parsons, but it’s not often that a player of his caliber and age is fathomed to be available.

Now, the Packers may very well become the frontrunners in a loaded NFC North, if not legitimate Super Bowl contenders. PFF Power Rankings granted Green Bay a 31% chance to win the division prior to this trade, which was second behind the Lions at 35%. Moreover, Green Bay’s 5% Super Bowl odds — the sixth-best in the league — figure to spike, potentially up to second behind the Eagles (9%) in the NFC.

The Cowboys’ short- and long-term outlook is murky

The Cowboys danced around a Parsons extension for a full year despite being able to pay him a whole summer ago. Now, the team is paying the price — both currently and down the line.

With Prescott returning after playing just 500 snaps, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland back after combining for only 1,119 snaps in 2024 and after acquiring George Pickens from the Steelers in May, there was optimism for Dallas to look more like 2023 form — especially with a new coaching staff. But having now traded away one of the foremost players in the NFL, the team’s contention window has certainly constricted in 2025.

Where does that leave Prescott, the NFL’s highest-paid player entering his age-32 season? Or CeeDee Lamb, who just signed a four-year, $136 million extension last summer? Or Bland, who accrued an 89.5 overall PFF grade in 2023 but will be a free agent next spring?

The Cowboys could still try to be competitive this year with an offense-heavy approach, but it grows much tougher to convince its remaining stars that owner Jerry Jones is actively trying to keep the best possible roster intact. Expect more trade calls about Dallas’ best players to surge, because even its brightest star wasn’t off the block.

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