One might assume that Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown would be upset that the Dallas Cowboys traded star pass-rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. After all, St. Brown’s Lions will now have to go up against Parsons at least twice per season in NFC North clashes.
Instead, St. Brown used a segment of the latest edition of his podcast to offer somewhat of a defense of Jones’ decision.
“I feel like there is stuff to it that we don’t know,” St. Brown said about the Cowboys shipping Parsons to the Packers, per John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated. “…I feel like there is other things going on as to why they traded him. But, you get two first-round picks and you get Kenny Clark, who is a really good defensive tackle.”
St. Brown noted that Jones clearly “wants to stop the run.” According to ESPN stats, the Dallas defense surrendered the fourth-most rushing yards per game (137.1) last season. The Cowboys finished the campaign with a record of 7-10 after quarterback Dak Prescott went down with a season-ending hamstring injury in Week 9.
As part of completing the trade, the Packers signed Parsons to a four-year, $188M contract that included $136M guaranteed and made the 26-year-old the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
“They’ve had run issues the past few years,” St. Brown added about the Cowboys. “So, you get a guy that can help stop the run. You save some money in not having to pay Micah. You get two first-round picks, which is going to help you long-term. I can see why Jerry Jones did it. I don’t think it was the dumbest move. I actually think it was not stupid at all. I think it was a win-win for both teams.”
Betting insiders disagree with St. Brown’s assessment. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Packers fifth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to win Super Bowl LX. At that same time, DraftKings had the Cowboys at +270 betting odds to make the playoffs this season.
“Cowboys got a great player,” St. Brown said about Dallas acquiring Clark. “You trade one, you get the other. You trade a crazy pass-rusher, who is just a freak. You got Kenny, who is one of the best defensive tackles in the game. So, you give and you take.”
Parsons likely would be a Dallas player today had Jones simply negotiated with agent David Mulugheta throughout the summer. It could be interesting to hear St. Brown revisit his take on the blockbuster trade if Parsons becomes a key figure for a Green Bay team that wins a championship.
