Micah Parsons trade: Brian Schottenheimer claims decision was ‘unanimous’ with Cowboys

First-year Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed reporters Friday afternoon roughly 24 hours after his front office rocked the NFL world with the seismic trade of two-time All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons to the NFC rival Green Bay Packers.

And while the Cowboys front office — specificially team owner and general manager Jerry Jones — has faced widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike, Schottenheimer stood behind the decision to trade away Parsons, widely considered the NFL’s premier pass rusher after registering at least 12 sacks each of his first four seasons in the league.

“This was a unanimous decision. This was unanimous from top to bottom,” Schottenheimer said Friday afternoon, according to The Athletic‘s Jon Machota. “… Guys will step up. … I think there’s a chance for us to grow as a football team.”

In compensation for trading away the 26-year-old Parsons, Dallas received 29-year-old three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Kenny Clark and the Packers’ first-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 NFL Drafts, giving the Cowboys two No. 1 picks in the next two drafts.

Cam Newton claims Dallas Cowboys won transaction over Green Bay Packers

It’s because of that draft capital that former NFL MVP Cam Newton went against the grain and boldly declared Dallas owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys as the winner of Thursday’s trade.

“Yes, (Dallas) won the trade. Remove emotions, what I’m saying is this: in order to be good in this league of the NFL, you need one thing, and that’s talent,” Newton said Friday morning on ESPN’s First Take. “That’s not to say that Micah Parsons isn’t talented. But what I am saying is, if you do not have talent, what next do you need is acquisition ability to get talent. And that’s what Jerry Jones did. He has potentially four picks in the first round alone (over the next two drafts) as of today.

“We don’t know what Kenny Clark is going to be. (But Jerry Jones) has made it abundantly clear, and said this: We want to stop the run. And, as great a player as Micah Parsons is, he’s an edge rusher. If you know any type of defense in this league, the first thing they want to stop is the run (to) make the offense one-dimensional. All these things are formulas the Dallas Cowboys have said and implemented to insert moving forward.”

Effectively, Newton believes Jones and the Cowboys will win the deal in the longterm with their ability to add multiple players that are more suited to Dallas’ desire to become a more line-of-scrimmage team.