It's no secret that former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson hasn't always seen eye to eye with Jerry Jones.
One can only assume the two had disagreements as college teammates at Arkansas, they definitely had disagreements during Johnson's five-season run with America's Team, leading to Johnson's departure after winning a second straight Super Bowl in his final year, and they famously feuded in the decades that followed until burying the hatchet ahead of Jimmy's induction into the Cowboys' Ring of Honor in December 2023.
But just because the two are on good terms these days, that doesn't mean Johnson agrees with everything Jones is doing with a Dallas team that famously hasn't hoisted a Lombardi Trophy in three decades.
And as one would imagine, that includes Jones trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Jimmy Johnson understands why Jerry Jones traded Micah Parsons, but still didn't like it
Johnson made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, and among the subjects discussed was the blockbuster trade that sent Parsons to Green Bay in exchange for a pair of first-round draft picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
When asked by McAfee for his opinion on the deal, Johnson said that while he understood why Jones pulled the trigger on the trade after negotiations on a long-term contract extension went nowhere, he still didn't like the move.
"I didn’t like it. I didn’t like it at all, but of course, him getting injured, maybe it was the right thing to do. ... I just don’t think you get rid of game-changing players. Somehow, some way, you find a way to keep them. And he was a game changer,” Johnson said.
“Without Micah, they picked up some draft picks, got a lot of salary cap money. They’re going to be able to add some players. So, Jerry made the right move for what it was, because they were at an impasse as far as Micah Parsons. If they make some improvements defensively, the Cowboys can make a run at it."
Parsons was undoubtedly a game changer for Green Bay before a torn ACL abruptly ended his season in Week 15, as the Packers had one of the top defenses in the NFL. And Parsons himself was having yet another fantastic season, one that, despite his injury, earned him a First-Team All-Pro selection and a spot among the five finalists for Defensive Player of the Year.
In his absence, meanwhile, the Dallas defense ranked 30th in total yards allowed, giving up 377.0 per game, and dead last in scoring, surrendering 30.1 points per contest.
The trade does look a lot better now, as Jones used one of the picks received from Green Bay to acquire Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in a deadline-day deal with the New York Jets.
Nevertheless, Johnson is still right, as trading away a generational talent like Parsons is something you just don't do. Sure, Parsons got hurt. But had he not been playing in that game in that city at that time on that play, it wouldn't have happened.