DECEMBER 2: Jones issued a clarification on Tuesday, telling 105.3 The Fan that he offered Parsons to the Jets for Williams and a first-rounder (via Clarence Hill of Jr. of All City DLLS). It was not Parsons and a first for Williams, as many inferred from Jones’ previous comments on the subject.
NOVEMBER 28: Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. We had previously heard Cowboys-Jets discussions commenced during the runup to the eventual Parsons swap with the Packers, but the longtime owner has provided a rather notable detail here.
“I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation.
“A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].”
Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a 1, and we didn’t get it done.”
Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5.
If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal.
Though Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass rush win rate.
Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss.
Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter – if not a star – on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons.
But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s.
The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97MM. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed
Perhaps the Jets did want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have.
Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
Someone needs to take the keys away from Jerry.
Personally, I like him having the keys. All talk, no spine for the ‘Boys.
That’s a great one. Way to go champ
Idk Jerry gets a lot of grief but
He has 2 first round picks coming up in 2026
Can recoup the 2nd round pick he lost in the Williams deal by trading back
Late 20s is prime trade up territory for QB needy teams or for guys to gain control on a 5th year option on a rookie deal (ideal situation would be ATL trading their pick to STL for Pearce Jr and Rams potentially getting a top 5 top 10 pick).
They’ve won 3 straight. Beat the Eagles. Beat the chiefs and could wind up at worst 9-7-1 losing to Lions and Chargers but beating Vikings Commanders Giants
49ers have CLE TEN but also IND CHI SEA
GB still has CHI DEN CHI BAL MIN
DET has DAL LAR PIT MIN CHI left
Gonna be interesting to see how playoffs finish the final 5 weeks
I agree with the Gapper-but, that said, this would have been an incredibly awful trade for Dallas. The Jets saved the Cowboys from a terribly lopsided deal. It’s essentially what the Panthers did for the Rams in that proposed Burns trade-saving a franchise from making a momentously disadvantageous decision.
Or so we think. I feel like there’s a huge part of the story Jerry is leaving out
Just like with Micah, they had a verbal deal in place for sure.
There is no way the jets would have turned this down in any timeline.
That kind of deal you MAKE the money work.
You give up a lesser defender for the best pass rusher in the NFC and you get a first?
Piggybacking on this, the jets have 100m in cap space next year and 18 mil this year. A similarly structured deal like the packers have Micah on would have worked easily.
Jerry is full of it.
Would anything have stopped the Jets from flipping Parsons to GB? Couple more 1st rounders.
The best deal is always in the comments
Macbeth… Only Jerry would brag about a deal as stupid as this one would’ve been.
Yeah, the idea that a new regime would have turned down Parsons and an extra first rounder for Quinnen is ridiculous, and I say that as a big Quinnen fan.
Maybe he means parsons for quinnen and a first?
But that still doesnt make sense about the cap space issue.
I’ve heard so many GM’s say anytime you can improve your team with a trade you got offered, you do it, no matter who it is. I bet if you just look at the NFL Top 100 list last year, Micah Parsons has a better ranking than Quinnen Williams.
The cap thing I think matters more than people realize, but like…is it actually possible the Jets can be incompetent enough to say no to that?
I’m not sure the Jets had as much space as it says since there was dead money from Aaron Rodgers’ contract. Even so, I think Mougey will need to clear the air on what happened. It’s possible that Parsons didn’t want to sign with the Jets, so it’s possible it would’ve been one and done with Parsons.
I think Jerry is flat out lying or misrepresenting to the degree that he might as well be flat out lying.
If it’s true (and I have my doubts), Micah got lucky…
If any of this is actually true, I’m sure Micah wielded his power and said he wouldn’t sign an extension with New York. There’s definitely more to this story.
Jets and Jerry ….
Reminds me of when Timmy Burch fights Jimmy Valmer…
TIMMY!
Cannot imagine this is actually true. It would have been really stupid on Dallas’s part, but even a franchise as dysfunctional and dumb as the Jets would have made the money work and accepted it.
Zero percent it’s true. The trade is accepted in Madden so you know the Jets would’ve pulled the trigger.
Well, Brick would have.
Jerry is going to yap more now that they beat last years SB teams. Neither of the two teams are as good as they were. Cowboys not making the playoffs, they need to run table and have Bears collapse. Bears do have a tough schedule but they just need to win 2 and they are good. Eagles have an easy schedule too.
If the Eagles don’t change anything offensively, the division is now in play. Eagles fans must hate Patullo. Good OL, Saquon, AJ, Davonta, Hurts, etc. yet they’re a below average offense and have looked pretty bad the last four weeks.
The Bears might win the division. The Packers, Seahawks, and 49ers are the current wild card teams with the 49ers probably in the best position to collapse. They would need the Lions to fold, too.
Jerry is basically saying don’t trade with me cause even if this is the slightest bit true you are airing dirty laundry which i can almost guarantee is frowned upon by every other GM
So Jerry trades Micah and a 1 for Williams. Jets then trade Micah to Packers for 2 first round picks, and in essence would have gotten 3 first rounders for Williams.
Yeah Jerry is full of it lol
He clearly misspoke. 1st and Williams for Micah is what he meant
For the Cowboys, this definitely is more likely. As awful as the trade as described is, the opposite (which is what you suggested) is much more likely.
It does speak (or rather, confirm) how much Jones thinks of Williams, which is what we’ve heard. Williams is a great player, one of the best currently, but he’s a few years older than Micah at Dallas’ strongest defensive position. They got Williams because they wanted him more so than because they needed him.
Then he misspoke on two separate occasions and after *both* hosts attempted to clarify. I think it’s Jerry just having a massive ego and BSing.
Admittedly I have made more than my share of cowboy and Jerry jokes but this feels like an old man that is losing his grip on what did and didn’t happen. Whether he misspoke or whatever that deal clearly wasn’t actually offered because the jets would have made that work. It use to be funny and now it just seems sad.
It’s called grammar. “I wanted a one, and Parsons for Williams”. So he wanted The pick AND the swap of players. Basically he wanted 1/Williams for Parsons.
So he misspoke or used odd language on two different occasions and failed to clarify both times when pressed by the hosts. I don’t buy this. Go listen to the clips.
so what your saying is Jerry said something outrageous to get his name in the headlines and basically say this was the plan all along. Next your gonna tell me Woody cares about the jets more than his ego and getting more butts in the seats.
Exactly this. There’s no controversy here about misunderstanding him, only him making an outrageous statement.
I’ll give yah Efton Chism for 3 first rounders Jerry!
Another article about the Parson’s trade? really? If you’re that desperate to beat on something… go rent a mule.
If only they had put Parson’s name in the article title so you weren’t tricked into reading it.
I’m sure they will trick me into reading another article about Hendrickson too…lol.
Jerry shouldn’t dream in public..
And PFR still can’t get names, dates, or places correct. Jerry Jones’ weekly radio gig is on the Dalals Cowboys’ key station which is 105.3 The Fan.
While I see what you’re saying, there is great irony hidden somewhere in this comment.
I think the irony is that the guy complaining about PFR not providing accurate detailed specifics… has a generic faceless avatar :)
He must mean Quinnen and a 1 for Micah
I think it’s time for Jerry to stop doing interviews. His kids need to take away the microphone.
Bullpoop
Such a dumb lie because it’s going to be a big story and Jets will definitely come out and say he’s full of it. Jerry is one of the dumbest humans of all time.
Jerry is full of it. He’s just trying to masker himself look like some genius after the fact. That’s story has been disputed by numerous people. So make the trade keep the number 1 and trade Parsons for two 1s and a3. Jerry t have been drinking again.
Who cares what might have
The clarification makes a lot more sense. The Jets would be nuts to do that, especially if they didn’t know they could sign Parsons long term.