Micah Parsons trade: Mike Tannenbaum rips Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys over compensation

As reaction continued to pour in after the Micah Parsons trade, ESPN analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum shared his thoughts. He took aim at Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys regarding the compensation.

The Cowboys traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. All the while, the former Penn State star got the lucrative contract he desired. He is set to sign a four-year deal worth $188 million, including $136 million guaranteed, according to multiple reports. He will also get $120 million at signing.

To Tannenbaum, though, Jones missed an opportunity. If the trade occurred earlier in the offseason, the Cowboys could have gotten significantly more than they did.

“If Dallas had made the decision in March to trade Micah Parsons, the compensation would’ve been significantly higher because more teams would’ve had the time, cap space to offer more to Dallas,” Tannenbaum wrote on X. “It’s virtually unheard of to have a 26 year old pass rusher in the prime of his career available in a trade.”

Parsons had been seeking a new contract with the Cowboys that would likely make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL – which his deal with the Packers did. However, the pass-rush market shifted multiple times as Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt became the first $40 million-per-year edge rushers. That meant the price kept climbing for Parsons as he neared the end of his rookie deal.

Even after his star pass-rusher went public with a trade request, Jones made it clear he didn’t intend to make a move. Things started to change this week, though, and he said he had to do what he thought was best for the Cowboys. That meant trading Parsons in his prime.

“Without being too broad, obviously, we did think it was in the best interest of our organization – not only the future, but right now this season, as well,” Jones said. “We’ve gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in, on the inside of our defense.

“Let me go beyond your question. First of all, I want to tell you that I really like Micah. I appreciate the four years that we’ve had him here. He’s a great player. We are very appreciative of the fact that he’s a great player. There’s no question that I could have signed him in April. We all know that to have agreements, all parties have to agree. But this was by design. I did make Micah an offer. It wasn’t acceptable, and I honor the fact that it wasn’t done in the way that he wanted to do it through an agent. He was made an offer.”