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In a trade heard ’round the world, the Cowboys dealt two-time All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers in exchange for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks before Week 1 of the 2025 season.
But Cowboys owner, president and general manager Jerry Jones had his sights on a different team—and player—as the highlight of a trade return for Parsons before ultimately agreeing to a deal with Green Bay. Jones, appearing on ESPN New York radio with Gary Myers ahead of the Cowboys-Giants showdown on Sunday, said he had contacted the Jets about a potential Parsons deal—and wanted former All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in return.
Jones said he “initiated” the conversation with the Jets.
“Just frankly, didn’t have the resources to entertain conversation,” Jones said, as to why no deal with New York materialized.
When Myers asked whether Williams, who was selected to his third straight Pro Bowl this past season, was a part of the trade conversation, Jones confirmed he was indeed seeking the Jets star defensive tackle in a potential trade.
“Yes you are,” Jones said when Myers asked whether he was going down the right path with his conjecture. “A prerequisite for the entire trade was that we had to have—right now—a really significant dominant inside defensive player, which was our goal to address the run more than we’d been addressing it the previous four years…”
Williams, one of the best defensive tackles in the league and a tier above Clark in terms of interior defenders, would have been quite the headliner in a Parsons trade. But Jones still ended up with a solid return for Parsons, who had Packers fans thanking the Cowboys owner for the stunning trade after his Lambeau Field debut on Thursday.
Jones still has no regrets about making the deal.
“Everybody’s looking for the guy that could absolutely singly make the defense,” Jones said per The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Everybody wants that guy. Now, we had him for four years, and you see what we did for four years. So, my point is, one guy doesn’t do it.”
