In his first public comments after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Jerry Jones said the move was in the “best interest” of the Dallas Cowboys organization. He spoke in a press conference alongside his son, Stephen. Jones made it clear he has no personal issues with Parsons after contract talks took multiple […]
In his first public comments after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, Jerry Jones said the move was in the “best interest” of the Dallas Cowboys organization. He spoke in a press conference alongside his son, Stephen.
Jones made it clear he has no personal issues with Parsons after contract talks took multiple turns and the star linebacker requested a trade earlier this month. Rumors about a move swirled throughout the week before the blockbuster news broke Thursday that Parsons was heading to the Packers. In exchange, the Cowboys received two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Speaking with reporters Thursday at The Star, Jones said it’s part of a “deliberate” approach by the Cowboys to bolster the run defense. That said, he acknowledged he had a chance to sign Parsons in April.
“Without being too broad, obviously, we did think it was in the best interest of our organization – not only the future, but right now this season, as well,” Jones said. “We’ve gained a Pro Bowl player in an area that we had big concerns in, on the inside of our defense.
“Let me go beyond your question. First of all, I want to tell you that I really like Micah. I appreciate the four years that we’ve had him here. He’s a great player. We are very appreciative of the fact that he’s a great player. There’s no question that I could have signed him in April. We all know that to have agreements, all parties have to agree. But this was by design. I did make Micah an offer. It wasn’t acceptable, and I honor the fact that it wasn’t done in the way that he wanted to do it through an agent. He was made an offer.”
Jerry Jones: ‘We need to stop the run’
As for whether there’s any ill will about the situation, Jerry Jones said he still thinks highly of Micah Parsons and his talent as a player. However, the Cowboys opted to emphasize the run game – an area of weakness in the past. Last year, the franchise ranked 29th in the NFL in rushing defense.
“There’s not an ounce of vindictiveness,” Jones said. “There’s no bad feeling on my part about the fact that we didn’t come together on an agreement. The facts are … specifically, we need to stop the run. We haven’t been able to stop the run at key times for several years.
“When you have the kind of extraordinary pass-rush that [Micah] had, then the way to mitigate that pass rush is to run at you. If the pass-rush doesn’t get you ahead pretty big-time, and you’re playing even or behind, then you’ve really got a problem in stopping the run.”
Category: Football
