Jerry Jones addresses trading Micah Parsons to the Packers | NFL on ESPN

Jerry Jones addresses trading Micah Parsons to the Packers | NFL on ESPN

Why did you decide to trade Michael Parsons? Well, uh without being too broad, obviously we did think it was in the best interest uh of our organization uh not only the future but right now this season uh as well. Uh uh we’ve gained a Pro Bowl player. Uh we’ve gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concern in or concerns in on the inside of our defense. U let me be let me go beyond your question. First of all, I want to tell you that uh uh I really like Micah. Uh I appreciate the years, four years that we’ve had him here and uh he’s a he’s a great player and so we are very appreciative of the fact that he’s a great player. Uh there’s no question that I could have signed him in April. And so uh uh uh we all know that uh to uh have agreements all parties have to agree. Uh but uh this was by design. Uh I did uh make Mike on offer. Uh it wasn’t acceptable. uh and I honor the fact that it wasn’t uh done in the way that he wanted to do it through an agent. Uh so uh he was made an offer. There’s not an ounce of vindictiveness. There’s no bad feelings on my part about uh the fact that we didn’t come together on an agreement. Uh the uh facts are and we’ll cover it I’m sure with many of your questions uh but the facts are uh uh specifically uh we need to stop the run and u we haven’t been able to stop the run at key times uh for several years and uh when you uh have the kind of extraordinary pass rush that Michael had then the way to mitigate that pass rush is to run at you. Uh if the pass rush doesn’t get you ahead pretty big time uh and you’re playing even or behind, then you’ve really got a problem in stopping the run. And so we have felt uh as we embark on changing things uh we have a coach that we’re mighty proud of and Brian And we’re excited about the changes that we’re making, not only in the coaching staff, but in the team. I think out of our 60 players that we would count as the activives and a percent of the practice squad, over onethird of those players are new. And so, uh, we are doing what I’ve said many times that if you, uh, are are the, uh, the one that, uh, uh, owns and when you look in the mirror, you’ve got to change. And so that this was a very deliberate as you as it played out uh reflection on a key player that could bring us a lot of consideration, a lot of consideration now and the player that we got that can help us stop the run and a lot of consideration in the future. A lot of capital that is required to build a team. Um, it takes many players to be tried to play in the NFL. It takes 11 on the field at the same time. It takes a minimum of of 30 or 40 at minimum to uh have both defense and offense, not including players that are involved in our special teams. So, it takes more than one. And so you do have to allocate your resources, whether it be draft picks or whether it be finances, you have to allocate those resources. There was no question in our mind that Michael could bring us a lot of resources on a trade that has been on my mind since uh we hired Brian. And so there was no question. Uh, as it turns out, all the publicity about the uh, uh, not having a contract, uh, certainly you did your part in making sure that, uh, it was known that he was potentially available, and I appreciate that very much. And I say that a little tongue and cheek. I’m not really as serious about it. Uh but I will say this that it was important that we did get if we could get it the kind of interest that we got in making a trade for Micah. Uh he was an asset that we got four great years out of. Uh but when you are talking about making a contract the kind that he got and for the future that’s quite a commitment and none of that counts about what he did those first four years. It all goes against what he can do for you in the future the length of that contract and and maybe more. Well then you’ve got to really weigh how many players and I’m just going to give you this. Not only do we immediately get a player, but those draft picks could get us. I’m talking top Pro Bowl type players could not necessarily you going to be quick to say you won’t necessarily get those players. You got to draft them or acquire them. But they could get us as few as three or as many as five outstanding players. Now, not only do they contribute in a game that needs a lot of players on the field, not to be elementary, but they also give you better odds that they’re going to be a high percentage of those are going to be available just from the standpoint of attrition or from the standpoint of just sheer limit on how far one player can go. Very few players are Dion playing a 100 plays a game out there at the time. So this trade was not just thought about today. This trade has been going on in our minds and our strategies and being talked about. Uh it’s been going on uh all spring. Uh it culminated today and it came quick, but that’s the way things go. It does happen fast when it happens. But you’ve laid a lot of water. I mean, you’ve laid a lot of things out there on the water to uh make it happen. I want to be sure that uh our fans understand I think a lot of Micah and I wish him so much success. I don’t want him to have success when they play the Cowboys as much as I do want him to have overall success. But Micah Parsons did an outstanding job for us for four years. And a little bit of the way Hershel 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 uh fans and the success of this team. Uh Kenny Clark. Um we knew beginning uh we really knew beginning this spring that if we could pick up a top interior defensive lineman just to offset not having a pass rusher even though it’s Micah. But where we’re long where we’re strong is in our pass rushing depth. And we knew if we could get an interior lineman that that was at least something that would improve us right there on a top interior lineman. He comes in strong for us and he comes in accomplished for us and so we’re glad to have him. It was a prerequisite. We went down the teams and we only picked teams that had room on their cap that could pay Micah and we only picked teams that had top tackles and tier tackles that we wanted to have any dialogue with at all about a trade. That was the criteria of trading. top existing tackle that could come in here and play for us right now this year and offset the fact to whatever degree more or less that we don’t have that excellence that Michael Parsons has there but we do have the depth to come in here and do that and then if we could get the picks that we ultimately getting and we did have several teams that we might have had an opportunity to do something with we did have that and so this was no uh uh this was no instantaneous happening this afternoon over about a fivem minute period. Uh the other thing that I would like to say is I firmly did me a commitment to Michael this spring uh Micah uh and paid him and to pay him. At that time, I was battling and knew that the other alternative probably was I had no idea what we might be able to get, but I knew that it was very likely to be several players that we could use those resources for all the way draft picks as well as cap space. And so that was on our mind. The minute that we saw that we were quite possibly were going to have an issue about uh whether or not we could do a contract or not. That gave us time. That gave us u imagineering. That coupled with bringing in a new coach and bringing in a new staff, we felt it fit for us to have more players, more excellent players if we do a good job of acquiring those players, plus have a team this year that would give us a better chance. Dare I say that? But absolutely it’s not a uh it’s not a zero that we’re dealing with as far as how much better that we are trying to be uh even not having Micah Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Watch Jerry Jones speak about the Dallas Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and DT Kenny Clark.

Courtesy: WFAA
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