The Herd with Colin Cowherd - What's Wright - Nick Wright reacts to Cowboys TRADING Micah Parsons to Packers | NFL

Episode Date: August 29, 2025

Nick Wright reacts to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. Nick breaks down what went wrong for Micah in Dallas, if this actually works out for the Cowboys moving forward, and why the trade shows that the Packers are all-in on Jordan Love. #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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well, when Micah demanded a trade, and then gained some momentum over the last week, and then in a flash it's happened. A generational pass rusher, in my opinion, the best young defensive player in the league, and maybe just the best defense. player in the league is traded away in a seismic move. We will get to the Packers piece of it in a moment. The short version is there is now more pressure on Jordan Love than any other quarterback

in at least his conference, if not the entire league. The Packers clearly believe they can win the Super Bowl this season. Maybe they have good reason to believe it. We will discuss them in a second. but I actually want to start with the Cowboys side because, well, they're the Cowboys, and this has been the story of the offseason. And I'm, I am not going to defend trading Micah Parsons holistically. And I understand every single person has the same take today, which is Jerry Blue. it and to a degree that is correct but the question is as the cowboys woke up yesterday morning what were their best options now they should have never gotten themselves in the position

they were in the right answer here is the moment you have the ability to sign micah parsons which was a year and a half ago, you signed Micah Parsons. Had they done that, had they gotten ahead of it the way their divisional rival, Philadelphia Eagles always do, the way the better teams in football always do, Michael would be sitting here on a long-term deal that averages around $34 million a year. That's what they could have done. just 18 months ago, the pass rusher market, going into last year, there was one guy making more than 30 million a year as an edge rusher. And it was Nikki Bosa.

Chris Jones missed a game and held out. I know he's not an edge rusher, but he's kind of a special D tackle. His deal was shocking at $31 million a year. The right thing to do was to sign Micah a year ago. They didn't do that. That's on Jerry. That's a mistake. But there is no, there's nothing one can do about that mistake.

And so my, not necessarily defense of the cowboys, but my honest read of it, when I saw the news and saw it was $47 million. a year was Jerry and the Cowboys had put themselves in a position where no matter what they do, they get killed. Because if we're being honest, had the Dallas Cowboys, instead of trading Micah Parsons yesterday, had the Dallas Cowboys signed Micah Parsons to the exact deal, the Green Bay Packers signed Micah Parsons to every single talking head every single sports show would be saying Jerry got worked once again Jerry waited paid top top of market overpaid and they would have been right when the market's at 41

and all of a sudden your guys at 47 It shatters the framework of what pass rushers can make. And now, even if you're not into the accounting part of football, and I don't blame you, here's the question I would ask you. If the Cowboys had signed Micah Parsons to the deal, the Green Bay Packers just signed Micah Parsons to, would any of us realistically believe they have a viable Super Bowl path over the next few years.

With DAC making 60, with CD making top of the wide receiver market money, and with Micah making, say they got him at 45. Would we say the Cowboys are going to get, not back to, because they haven't been there in 30 years, but get to the final four a conference championship game,

much less a Super Bowl. I wouldn't have. I thought they were going to get him done, and I thought they were a last place team this year, in their division. And so you shouldn't be in this spot where you wait, wait, wait, and then pay record setting deals,

but once you put yourself in that spot, and you did it with CD, and then you did it with DAC, was the better option for Dallas resetting at one of those spots? Was the better, if the idea is that Cowboys are going to have to be an offense-led team with Dack and CD, and then build up a young, cheap defense because of how much you're paying to offense, does getting two first round picks, Kenny Clark,

and removing what was going to be 40 plus million from your books, is that a legitimate approach? I think it is. Now, again, the better way to go about this actually probably was if you really thought you can't pay DAC, CD, and Micah is to pay Micah a year ago get the two first round picks for CD Lamb and tell Dak Prescott this is what the money's for you're going to have to make due without him that's how I

would have run the Cowboys it was there an argument to make you pay CD you pay Micah you let Dax contract you you do the terrifying thing of letting Dax contract expire and get back on the quarterback carousel that takes a lot of guts because you had given DAC that no trade you couldn't necessarily you know get multiple first round picks for him because he could have just said no I'll just let the contract play out that that would have maybe been the riskiest move Mike is the best player on the team Mike is the only player on the team that is on a clear-cut undoubted Hall of Fame trajectory and you traded him away so

that's not the decision i would have made but as they found themselves the situation they were in in august of 2025 was there any move they could have made that you that would have been the response would have been well done and the answer is no so maybe don't put yourself in that position so be it get your business done early obviously that you that's what they need to do. But I'm not as horrified by the trade given where they found themselves, as everyone else seems to be, because if I'm being fair, if I'm being honest, had they given Micah the deal, the Packers just gave him,

they would be getting killed for it. And I think that is a weird place to be in where there are no good option. but given where they found themselves, I don't think getting to this place is a catastrophe. The decision they made once they are in that place is to me not necessarily a catastrophe. And now a lot of people are like, well, how do you trade them in the conference?

This is again a counterintuitive, but pretty logical belief I've always had on these, oh you don't trade within the division you don't trade within the conference if you like the trade if you think you are winning the trade you actually would rather the other side of the trade be someone you're competing with if you think i i won the trade and the other team lost the trade then you'd rather the loser be someone that you have to compete with to make a super than someone in the other conference teams tend not to look at it that way you know who did bill bellichick when he traded drew blood so but I don't have as big of a deal

with trading within the conference now we do get to the green bay packers tell you about them in just a second but first ever sign up for a phone play and thinking wow great price then a few months later it's like surprise your bills higher with boost mobile you pay twenty five dollars a month forever unlimited talk text data starting just $25 a month. No price hikes, no contract forever. Plus, Boost Mobile is now a legit 5G network. They've invested billions building 5G towers across the country. Visit boostmobile.com or head to your local boost store today and get unlimited. Talk, text, and data for $25 a month forever. 5G speeds not available in all areas. After 30 gigs, customers may experience slower speeds.

Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the boost unlimited. limited plan. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

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I think it was on a call about what we should call it. And, well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy. Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel. Help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-heartedly.

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And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Jenchian went. I mean, she went down to three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay.

Listen, Lerabakina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world. right now and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving well good luck consider this your court side seat to the French Open listen to the Renee stubb's tennis podcast on the iHeart radio app Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts presented by capital one founding partner of iHeart women's sports all right now to the packers they think they can win the Super Bowl he I think Micah is one of the best players in football he he he he's He is one of the only players that isn't a quarterback that legitimately just by himself changes your life. And when you look at the teams who have played in or won Super Bowls, they all have a guy like that.

the chiefs obviously have Chris Jones. The Eagles have a bunch of really good defenders, and I don't think it's fair to put this player in that category yet, but you feel like Jalen Carter is that going to maybe be that type of guy? The Cardinals, the Rams had Aaron Donald. The Bills thought they needed it and went out and got Von Miller. He ended up not being that guy. the Rams that when they won, they also had, you know, an unbelievable run from Von Miller.

Having a game wrecking presence up front changes your life in the NFL. There aren't that many of them. There are none his age with his level of production. And Green Bay had done a really good job of acquiring good players. Green Bay had not done a great job of acquiring great players. And it's very hard. And this is very unlike Green Bay. Trading away draft picks, paying top of market.

It's obviously they signed Reggie White famously. Obviously they signed Charles Woodson famously. But they didn't have to trade away draft picks to do that. This is as aggressive of a move as a team can make. make and it's the most expensive way to acquire a player by a mile. This is more Barnwell's territory than mine, but when you do the math on the surplus value you get from first round picks that you now won't have and then add that to Micah's salary, that $47 million is effectively closer to $60 million a year you're paying

Micah Parsons, which is totally worth it if you can win the Super Bowl. Can they win the Super Bowl? Yes. Who is now the biggest X factor in the NFL? The answer to that question is Jordan Love. Because we know how talented Jordan Love is. We also know we haven't seen a full awesome season from him yet.

Last year he was good, but not great, dealing with an injury. The year before, he was pretty mediocre the first half of the year, and then a quadruple plus the second half of the year every step of the way until the one awful decision late in that playoff game against the was against the Niners? Yeah, it was against the Niners. And that's like a low-key, I don't want to say it's forgotten,

but we always think about the Niners' comeback. What I don't know how much people think about is this. The Packers were just shy of mid-field, down three, a minute left, and if you remember watching that game, it felt at least to me, like, oh, Green Bay is going to get in field goal range and this thing's going to overtime. And Jay Lowe made, sorry, Bruce impact on me.

Jordan Love made a, you know, a rookie mistake. I know it wasn't a rookie, but his first year really starting. But they go all in like this because they believe he's good enough to be a Super Bowl champion quarterback right now. And obviously, when you trade for 26-year-old Michael Parsons, he's now partnered with Jordan Love the rest of the way. What I would say is it is now going to, those are your stars. And you hope Matthew Golden turns into a star. I know they, like, they are not going to have another super high-priced acquisition anytime soon.

you've paid the quarterback, you now have what will be the most expensive defensive player in football for the next few years probably, next couple at least. And you're rolling. That's your team. It is a very, if there was any question, not that there was any reason to have a question, but if there was any question on how much belief do the Packers have in Jordan Love, that got answered immediately.

Because you don't make this move if you don't think, oh, yeah, we have a quarterback good enough to win four straight rounds. Or if we're, you know, maybe you only have to win three straight rounds because you get the one seat. the schedule obviously for them depending on how good you think the NFC North is is brutal but this is a this is a seismic game changing player and I had the Packers out of the playoffs before the trade I have them in the playoffs now but so that's if you had the Packers as a really good playoff team but not quite in the Super Bowl. This move to me, you can be like, no, they're in the Super Bowl.

I had them out of the playoffs, and one of the things I said was, I don't believe in the defense as much as everyone else, because I think they're a corner or too short, and I don't know they're going to be able to have a super impact pass rusher, but now they have one. So that's enough for, you know, I move them up a grade and a half based on this player, but if I had a lot of them, out of the playoffs before I don't now have them in the Super Bowl but this is as big of a swing

as a team can make and these guys at this age don't typically come available and I mean Khalil Mack did I understand but Kalil Mack was not Micah Parsons Jalen Ramsey did and Jalen Ramsey you know they won a Super Bowl it didn't end great in in Los Angeles, but it worked out. While it maybe didn't end perfectly, they would do that trade again 100 times out of 100. And as great as Ramsey is, I don't think he's Micah Parsons.

And so to be able, you typically only get guys like this when they're past their prime or because you drafted them, which is why for Dallas fans who have now traded Luca Dantzich and Micah Parsons in the last year have to be beside themselves. And I, again, to briefly go back to the Cowboys, if the ultimate goal is winning a Super Bowl, I don't given where they found themselves

I don't hate doing this but if the ultimate goal is winning the Super Bowl you can't find yourself where you found yourself you can't put yourself in this position the other interesting note on this is why didn't anyone else trump this deal I think it's noteworthy that Buffalo didn't come over the top

because two first round picks and 30-year-old D-tackle, Kenny Clark, is a good, you know, that's a good return. But it's not at, holy shit, look at what they paid return. And Jerry said in his press conference yesterday that, you know, getting a quality detackle was basically a prerequisite for this deal. Well, you know, the, the bill

have, they just spent two draft picks on D tackles this year. They have Dayquan Jones, who they, you know, signed. They obviously love Ed Oliver. Like, the bills have depth there that they, they could have, and when I say they signed Dayquan Jones, not this offseason, but they, a guy, they didn't draft. but they brought in a few years ago. The bills are an interesting one.

Now, maybe they look at it like, hey, we took our swing on Joey Bosa, but maybe they look at it as we tried it with Von Miller, different player, different circumstances didn't work out. The Lions would have been an intriguing one. Maybe they feel like we've got to save our money for Hutchinson, and we can't do it. But I'm a little surprised that this, was the absolute best best the Cowboys could do. And I also think, and this is where criticizing

the move is totally fair, if you're going to make this move, making it before the draft, when A, more teams I think would have been in the bidding, and B, you have certainty of what draft pick you're getting back, where did the Packers pick last year? 18. the the I'm they picked 23rd sorry like I'll it's unlikely that this pick they get back from Green Bay is much better than 23 and it's on the board

that it's a bit worse and so I'm a little like the Cowboys process obviously was disastrous the end result I don't think is I just think if we're being fair had Jerry signed Micah to this exact deal that Green Bay is being lauded for

he would have been pilloried for I just think that's reality now some of that he's earned himself and Green Bay now just clearly clearly believes we can just go win the Super Bowl and maybe they can

They won't be my pick, but, and I don't want to, I want to be very fair with what I'm saying. This isn't a Super Bowl or bust trade this season only, because Micah probably being Green Bay for the next decade. And I'm happy for Micah that he got this money and that he stays with a Blue Chip franchise. And it'll be very interesting. going from the franchise that has the most kind of non-football stuff going on around him to the franchise that has the least. And Packer fans will effing love him. Micah Parsons, a Green Bay Packer.

Talk about it more on the TV show in a bit and see you guys on Tuesday. What's right? Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast.

called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it, but, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless, and at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. Jenchie win. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface.

Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the Iheart Radio app. podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.