The timing of the Micah Parsons trade couldnât have been much better for the Philadelphia Eagles. It went down Thursday evening, just a week before the Birds open the 2025 NFL regular season against the Dallas Cowboys. Parsons is no longer a Dallas Cowboy. Heâs a Green Bay Packer now. The Cowboys got back a pair of future first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark who’s a solid run stopper, but letâs be real, heâs no Micah Parsons.
So naturally, the hot take mill started churning. Everyoneâs talking about how this is great news for the Eagles. The narrative goes something along the lines of the Birds wonât have to face Parsons twice a year anymore so the road to the division crown just got easier.
Um, when exactly were the Cowboys going to be a threat to the Eagles this year?
Phillyâs Dominance Over Dallas
Letâs not rewrite history. The Eagles didnât just beat the Cowboys last season, they embarrassed them. The combined score in their two meetings was 75â13 and that included a 41-7 shellacking in Birds’ backup quarterback Tanner McKee’s first NFL start. Thatâs not just squeaking by that’s a deed stealer.  Â
The idea that Philly needed Parsons gone to help secure the NFC East crown is laughable but that’s what headlines all over the sports world are using for their click-bait chum today. This is what The Sporting News, in all of their infinite wisdom and laser beam insight posted:
Philadelphia Eagles are big winners of the Micah Parsons trade
Even with the former Penn State star wrecking games, the Eagles wouldâve been a heavy favorite in Week 1. Without Parsons it would take a small miracle for Dallas to pull off an upset next Thursday night.
And itâs not just Parsons. Dallasâ defense has been gutted. DeMarcus Lawrence, Jourdan Lewis, Chauncey Golston, Eric Kendricks are all gone from last year’s team. The Cowboys are a shell of themselves, and this trade just hammered another nail into their proverbial coffin.
Not Quite the Herschel Walker Trade 2.0
The last time the Cowboys pulled the trigger on a blockbuster like this, it rewrote NFL history. Back in 1989, Dallas dealt running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings in what became known as the âGreat Train Robbery.â On the surface, Minnesota thought they had acquired the final piece to a Super Bowl puzzle. Instead, Cowboys’ head coach Jimmy Johnson flipped the deal into a dynasty, and the Vikings went on to win zero Super Bowls and counting.
The Herschel Haul
Dallas shipped Walker and a handful of late picks to Minnesota. In return, the Cowboys received five players and eight draft picks with clauses that turned those players into even more picks once Johnson cut them.
Those selections turned into the core of three Super Bowl champions for the Boys:
- Emmitt Smith (NFLâs all-time rushing leader)
- Darren Woodson (Cowboysâ all-time leading tackler)
- Russell Maryland (#1 overall pick in 1991, Pro Bowler)
- Kevin Smith (shutdown corner, 3-time Super Bowl champion)
It was the biggest fleecing in NFL trade history, fueling Dallasâ 1990s dynasty, an era that saw them win three Super Bowls in a four-year span (’93, ’94, ’96).
Why the Parsons Trade Is Different
Fast forward to 2025. The Cowboys once again moved their most talented player, but this time, the roles reversed.
- Dallas didnât maximize value. They picked up defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two future first-rounders, but their defense is depleted, and their window isnât open.
- Green Bay is positioned the way Dallas was in the early â90s with an already strong roster that just needed a generational game-changer to elevate them into a Super Bowl contender.
If Walkerâs trade created a dynasty in Dallas, Parsonsâ trade might just have the same effect in Green Bay (minus the woeful quarterback situation).
So why is everyone acting like this is the best news the Eagles couldâve asked for?
Green Bay Just Leveled Up
While Philly fans are popping champagne over the departure of Parsons from Dallas, nobody seems to notice what just happened up north.
The Packers didnât just add a decent player. They added a generational, game-wrecking pass rusher and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He’s the kind of player you spend two first-round picks and a starter on because he instantly changes your championship window.
And hereâs the best part for all you cheeseheads out there – the Packers already had a top five defense.
- 4th in the NFL in total defense last year (318 yards per game, 18.7 points per game).
- Top five in takeaways.
- They pushed the Eagles twice losing by a combined 17 points.
- In the Wild Card round, Philly needed four takeaways just to squeak out a 12-point win.
Now, insert Parsons into that mix. Suddenly the Packers arenât a just a good team theyâre a Super Bowl contender. The saving grace for the Birds is, while the Packers now have the great Micah Parsons in their arsenal, they also still have the woeful Jordan Love as their quarterback (am I being too harsh on him?)
Eaglesâ Road Gets Harder, Not Easier
The Cowboysâ loss is irrelevant. They were never going to hang with Philly this year or any time in the foreseeable future. But Green Bay? Thatâs a different story. The Eagles have to go into Lambeau Field on Monday Night, November 10th. Then, if they want to defend their Super Bowl crown, there’s a good chance theyâll have to go through the Packers again at some point in January.
Thatâs not a break. Thatâs a gauntlet. The Birds should win any potential playoff game should there be a rematch next January, all things being equal, but Parsons is a game-changer and can wreak havoc on any offense at any time, causing massive disruption, timing issues, and yes, the great equalizer – turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.
Bottom Line
I just donât get it. Why is everyone from Delco to Morocco (yes, there are Eagles fans in North Africa) cheering? The Eagles didnât dodge a bullet. They just watched one of the leagueâs few true game-changers move from a non-factor in Dallas to a massive piece in Green Bay. The Cowboys got worse but who cares? The Packers just got real.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Why the Micah Parsons’ Trade is Bad News for the Eagles’ Super Bowl Defense appeared first on Heavy Sports.