The New York Jets had a chance to acquire star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who stunned the league with a trade request this past offseason before ultimately being dealt to the Green Bay Packers.
Of course, the Jets did not acquire Parsons, and we now know the team was not interested in paying the steep price it would have taken to land him.
Appearing on ESPN New York with host Gary Myers, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones revealed that he initiated talks with the Jets regarding Parsons, wanting defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and a first-round pick in return.
“As it would turn out, I initiated that (trade talks with the Jets),” Jones told Myers. “Frankly, they didn’t have the resources to entertain conversations. It was a very good brief visit.”
Myers then speculated that Jones was likely asking for Williams and a future first-rounder, maybe two. “Am I going down the right path there?” Myers asked.
“Yes, you are,” Jones replied. “A prerequisite to the entire trade was that we had to have, right now, a really, frankly, significantly dominant inside defensive player. Our goal was to address the run more effectively than we had in the previous four years. That was the prerequisite. You didn’t get into the mentality of my trading if you didn’t have that coming through the door,” Jones replied.
Ultimately, the Cowboys sent Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
The price for the Jets would have been steep. Jones confirmed the framework of a deal that would likely have required All-Pro Williams and at least one, possibly two, first-round selections. These are highly valuable picks that New York may need to target a quarterback if Justin Fields is not the long-term answer.
In addition, the Jets would have had to commit a massive contract to Parsons immediately after awarding Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson deals worth more than $100 million apiece.
With the Packers, Parsons was signed to a four-year, $188 million contract, which included $120 million fully guaranteed at signing. This made him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history.
Ultimately, the Jets made the wise decision to stand pat and keep their future first-round picks and All-Pro defensive tackle rather than go all in on the uber-talented four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher.