OXNARD, Calif. — Nearly one year after the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons, Jerry Jones is looking at a defense that now includes Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark and first-round edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
Jones said Thursday he likes where the deal has taken Dallas.
“Even though Micah’s an outstanding talent [that] anybody would like to have, the bottom line is that I like what the result of the trade has ended up as I stand here today,” Jones said.
Dallas sent Parsons to the Green Bay Packers on Aug. 28, 2025, for Clark and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027. The first of those picks became No. 20 after Green Bay finished 9-7-1 and lost to the Chicago Bears in the wild-card round. Dallas moved down three spots in a draft-night trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, picking up Nos. 114 and 137 while sending No. 218 to Philadelphia. At No. 23, the Cowboys took Lawrence out of UCF.
Micah Parsons Trade Helped Bring Quinnen Williams To Dallas
The other first-round pick was moved months earlier. Dallas sent the 2027 first-rounder from the Parsons deal to the New York Jets at last November’s trade deadline as part of the package for Williams. The Jets also received Dallas’ 2026 second-round pick and Mazi Smith. New York will receive the higher of the Cowboys’ and Packers’ 2027 first-round selections.
In seven games for Dallas last season, Williams had 1.5 sacks and an interception. His new contract became official Wednesday. The three-year extension is worth $105.9 million, with $101 million guaranteed.
Williams received $63.35 million guaranteed at signing and a $31.85 million signing bonus. At $35.3 million per year, he trails only Jalen Carter among NFL defensive tackles. Carter averages $38 million with Philadelphia.
Jones said the Cowboys did not hesitate once Williams became available.
“Where Quinnen is, you can’t do that but six, seven times under our rules with the salary cap,” Jones said. “So, boy, you want to be very judicious, and you want that to go to people who are really solid, both physically and talented as a player, but also really solid people. I don’t know that he’s got a peer and he’s playing alongside guys like Dak.”
Williams entered the NFL as the No. 3 overall pick of the Jets in 2019. He has made four straight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2022, when he recorded a career-high 12 sacks. He has not played in a postseason game entering his eighth NFL season.
“I knew that the moment they traded for me, I wanted to be here for the rest of my career,” Williams said.
Jerry Jones Goes Back To Herschel Walker Trade
The extra draft capital also brought Jones back to a trade made during his first year owning the Cowboys. Dallas sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 13, 1989. Players and picks from that deal eventually fed into rosters that won Super Bowls after the 1992, 1993 and 1995 seasons.
Jones said Thursday the value of that trade went beyond the individual players Dallas received.
“You could say those picks got us key players,” Jones said, “but the main thing that the Herschel Walker trade did, it caused me to be more aggressive and caused us to, if you will, take more risk because we had more picks.
“It’s like going to Las Vegas with some extra money in your pocket or going out there with the baby’s new pair of shoes and formula money in your pocket,” Jones continued. “You can’t be as good a crapshooter as you are when you’ve got the baby’s new pair of shoes throwing out there with it.
“So, in a way, this actually created a mental part to us and to my role in it with me, to step out and make the moves and take, if you will, risks that are involved to be where we are today with a complete makeover of the defense,” Jones added.
Dallas kept adding to the defense after the season. On March 9, the Cowboys sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to Green Bay for Rashan Gary. Jalen Thompson came next on a three-year deal worth up to $33 million, and Cobie Durant signed March 13.
In April, Dallas moved from No. 12 to No. 11 in a trade with the Miami Dolphins and drafted Ohio State safety Caleb Downs.
Cowboys Rebuilt After Record-Setting Defensive Season
Dallas gave up 511 points last season, the most in franchise history, and finished with six interceptions, another franchise low. Matt Eberflus was fired after one season as defensive coordinator, and Christian Parker replaced him.
Clark, the veteran Dallas received directly in the Parsons trade, started all 17 games and had 3 sacks. Parsons played 14 games in his first season with Green Bay and finished with 12.5 sacks. A torn ACL ended his season in December, and he went on injured reserve Dec. 17 before being activated Feb. 15.
Several of the Cowboys’ biggest contracts now sit on the same roster. Dak Prescott is at $60 million per year, while CeeDee Lamb is at $34 million.
Last year, Tyler Smith signed a four-year, $96 million deal. DaRon Bland received a four-year deal worth $92 million. George Pickens is on the franchise tag this season, with the fully guaranteed tender worth $27.3 million. Williams is now at $35.3 million per year.
Dallas finished 7-9-1 last season in Brian Schottenheimer’s first year as head coach.
Williams said the group he joined in Dallas reminds him of Alabama.
“Just because you got guys with the same mindset from top down,” Williams said. “You got a guy like Jerry Jones, he’s a strong believer in winning and winning championships. You got guys like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb. You got the coaching staff. Everybody has the same mindset when it come down to getting better and winning and doing everything we can possibly do to win. Honestly, the last time I kind of had that feeling was at Bama where everybody coming in, iron sharpens iron, wanting to win football games, wanting to win championships, wanting to win playoff games and wanting to get better every single day.
“Being a part of the organization or a team like that with the same mindset that I have is unbelievable,” Williams continued. “So I’m super excited to be here.”
The Cowboys open the preseason Saturday at Seattle at 7 p.m. CT. Their regular season starts Sept. 13 against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
