By the time Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was ready to trade star pass rusher Micah Parsons, he was actively shopping him to other teams. In a recent interview, he revealed he had a preferred destination for Parsons and ideal compensation in return.
In an interview with ESPN New York’s Gary Myers, Jones revealed that he actually contacted the New York Jets and tried to offer them Parsons in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and a slew of draft picks. However, the Jets told Jones that they simply didn’t have the resources to make a deal work.
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Jones ultimately made a deal with the Green Bay Packers, sending Micah to Titletown in exchange for several early draft picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Why the Jets?
Despite going nine straight years without having a winning season and 14 without making the playoffs, the Jets currently boast one of the NFL’s top interior defensive linemen with Quinnen Williams. He’s made the Pro Bowl in three straight seasons and is just as good at getting after the quarterback as the running backs.
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There are few people in the NFL who would argue that Kenny Clark is a better defensive tackle than Williams right now.
But making a deal with the Jets would also have other fringe benefits. For starters, the Jets are expected to be a much worse team than the Packers over the next couple of years, so a first or second-round pick from them would be significantly more valuable in future NFL Drafts.
The other benefit is the Jets being in the AFC rather than the NFC. The Jets and Cowboys aren’t scheduled to play each other for another couple of years, whereas the Cowboys might find themselves playing against Micah Parsons on an almost annual basis between the regular and postseason.
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 22: Quinnen Williams #95 of the New York Jets gets set against the Jacksonville Jaguars at MetLife Stadium on December 22, 2022 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Cooper Neill/Getty Images
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As much as Jets fans may hate their front office at times, most of them believe that the team made the right move in not making an aggressive play for Parsons.
“This is the right decision by the Jets. Micah is great but the Jets need to protect their first rounder incase they need to use it on a QB this offseason. Plus Quinnen is a stud,” one Jets fan replied.
“Why would the Jets make that trade?” another pointed out.
“Jets were right,” a third said bluntly.
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“Honestly good on the Jets. They are the last franchise that needs to be trading picks unless it’s for the next Broadway Joe.”
“This was actually smart on the Jets to step away from that…Micah is great, but McDonald and JJ coming into their own. Keep Quinnen and use picks to improve the O-line and find weapons on the offensive side.”
It’s unlikely that the Cowboys and Jets would have been much better off with a trade like that anyway. Both of them lost in Week 1 and are going to try and avoid 0-2 starts this Sunday.
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This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 13, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.